Life With The Salvatores
by SalvatoresBabyBlue
Summary: Life with the Salvatore brothers is a challenge according to Lani Salvatore, someone who has lived with them as a vampire for nearly as long as they have been one.
1. Chapter 1, Awakened

I walked in and found Stefan sitting at the table. "Morning Stef."  
>"Lani you realize we have school in 5 minutes?" Oh shit why didn't anyone wake me up? I thought. There was no pointing asking Stefan, he'd just say oh it's not my fault you should get up yourself or something along those lines. I hurried up stairs grabbing my bag and black converses on the way. I decided I'd go with the dark look, it matched my hair anyway. You can't imagine what it's like having jet black hair in high school, everyone thinks you're an emo. Might as well go with it, not that I'd ever actually cut myself. It would heal before it did any damage anyway. One of the many perks of being a vampire. Beauty was another. I'm not a vain person but most vampires are unnaturally pretty and well that goes for me too. I was standing in front of the mirror in my bathroom when Damon walked in. "Damon please? A little privacy?" Damon looked amused as usual. It didn't seem to bother him that I was only in a bra and my undies.<br>"The all black suits you Lani." he said eyeing off my matching underwear. I suppose it seems a little weird that I haven't kicked him out yet, but when you've lived with someone as long as me and Damon have lived together it's kinda hard not to notice things. I mean sure me and Damon tried the whole dating thing but nothing really ever happened. I continued getting dressed even with Damon there. I threw on my black trackies and a black top while Damon lounged across my bed. "What do you want Damon?" I asked while he grinned his usually evil grin at me.  
>"What? Aren't I allowed to come and wish you a happy day at school? I mean it is your first day and all." Eergh yuck school. I didn't want to go but they wanted me to because I'm supposed to be the youngest sibling of three, even though I'm not even slightly related to the Salvatore brothers. I guess it is a little weird if Stefans younger sister doesn't going to school and he does. I had been able to weasel my way out of going to Mystic Falls High for as long as I could but people were starting to ask questions about me being around. "I don't see what Stefans whole thing on school is? I mean it's not like it's the first or even second time that I have started at a new school." That's when I heard him from down stairs. "Hurry up Lani if you want me to drive."<br>"Will you give me a lift?" I whispered to Damon, knowing I could finish getting dressed and still beat Stefan to school if Damon drove.  
>"Yeah, I suppose. As long as I get a drink before we go!" Damon had always found my blood his favourite even though I was a vampire, and I never really minded because I always got some of his after.<br>"Yeah quickly though and don't get any on my clothes." I quickly pulled my top over my head just to be sure he wouldn't drip any blood on it.  
>"What don't you trust me?" he looked slightly amused.<br>"Not one bit and you know it!" I smiled as he pulled me close. I felt the small sting in the side of my neck when his fangs went in but after that the sensation was amazing. It felt as if you were floating. After a while my legs started to give way and we fell backwards onto the bed. I lifted my head to look at him and showed him my fangs. I growled playfully and bit down into his neck. His blood tasted amazing. Better than most of the human stuff and 1000 times better than the animal shit Stefan always tried to get me to drink. When I was full I pulled back. I could feel a small trickle of blood slide and my chin and before I could wipe it away Damon was there and he licked it up. This lead to a kiss which lead to some more pretty amazing time spent together.  
>Later on I was laying on his bare chest. "So how late am I for school?" I asked, knowing Stefan was gonna be super mad.<br>"It's not that bad, it's barely even first break yet." He replied as if he knew what question I was going to ask.  
>"Well I better get ready, and so should you. You said you'd drive." I laughed when he groaned and rolled over. I went to get out of the bed but he grabbed me before I could. "You know it sucks you being faster than me!" He was only older than me by like 20 years but somehow that didn't matter.<br>"Aaaw poor little Lani!" I got angry and shoved him against the wall, bearing my fangs and growling. I know he could of stopped me but it's better when he just let's me do it. "Oooh scary!" he laughed. I growled again. "Feel better?" He was mocking me so I growled louder and in a flat second I was the one pinned agains the wall. He leant down and kissed me. "Now don't you need to get dressed, you are late for school remember?" He let me go and was out of the room before any normal person could blink but me, being not so normal, caught the whole exit.  
>"I hate you Damon!" I said not bothering to yell, I knew he'd hear me. And sure enough I could hear him laugh down stairs.<br>"Nah you don't Lan!"  
>I dressed in a blur, trackies, top, converses and I quickly threw my hair up. I'm not one of those girls who would sit in front of the mirror and play Barbie doll all morning. I am a Tom-boy and proud of it. I think that's what attracts Damon to me the most. I was done in the car within 2 minutes of Damon leaving my room. "Your getting faster Lan!" He said, sounding genuinely impressed.<br>"I gather you grabbed my bag?" I asked him. I couldn't find it in the house so he must of grabbed it.  
>"Of course." he smiled his dazling smile and turned the car on. With a screeching of the tires we flew out of the driveway and on the way to school. <div> 


	2. Chapter 2, School

We pulled up and it was just as Damon had said, not even first break. Just as we were getting out the car the bell for break went and everybody started to file out. There were "woah's" and "look at him's" and even a couple "whose she" but I didn't really listen I had heard it all before, and plus they had to have seen me around town. Everytime we started a new school the same thing happened, the school jock came after me which usually resulted in him with a blood nose and the school barbies went after Stefan and Damon. Damon and I walked into the office and the lady behind the counter eyed me off warily. The look was like, you look like trouble. I hate how the teachers just automatically assume I'm gonna be trouble. I mean I usually am but that's not the point they shouldn't just assume it. Like normal we didn't have the right paperwork it's not like I can put my real date of birth on the forms, and I don't think I even have my birth certificate anymore, so I'm sure that would all work out perfectly. So Damon influenced them to say we had the right papers and to not worry about me being late for my first day of school. It was the least he could do. To the people of this school Damon was my big brother so as he left we couldn't do the usual kiss it was just, "I'll see you at home Lan." which sucks. My first lesson after the break was history. As I walked in the usual "oooh's" and "aaaah's" started and as I took the only seat left in the class a boy with beautiful brown eyes looked up at me. "Uh hi I'm Daniel, Daniel Turner. You must be new here." While he was talking I looked at him again and realised his eyes were about the only nice thing about his face. None of the kids I sat next to usually talked to me unless they were hot and he definetely wasn't. "What does it matter to you?" I said with a shrug of my shoulders, anyone could tell I was new. "Oh sorry I was just trying to be nice." He looked away after that and didn't say anything more. After about five minutes the teacher still hadn't come so the people started to swarm. "Who are you?" a small chick with blonde hair asked. Well I'm the boogey monster I thought to myself and laughed everyone looked at me. "My name is Lani, Lani Salvatore." I said sounding casual. I heard someone say, well they were probably whispering but I could hear them nonetheless, "Oh no wonder she's so pretty she's that Stefan guys sister." they said it in awe of having him as a brother. "Yeah I'm Stefan's younger sister what of it?" Both girls turned bright red and went and sat back down. While all this had been going on that kid who was next to me had disappeared. "Oi, where'd that Daniel kid go?" I asked one of the guys who was still standing around. He turned and looked at me. "Why would you care? You'll just be mean to him anyway!" He said it coldly and I was hurt but I wasn't about to show it, there is no way people talk to me like that. "Aaw is he your boyfriend? I'm sorry!" I said with a sarcastically sad voice. He turned and walked away with everyone laughing at him. I guess I felt kinda bad but it was his fault he was mean to me first. Just then the teacher walked in. "Hello..." he began and the rest of the lesson passed in a blur.

My next lesson was science and when I walked in I found two things wrong with this lesson, one that boy from last lesson was in there and two they were doing blood type testing. I wasn't going to stay in the lesson so I walked up to the teacher and compelled him to let me go without a note. Once I was out of the classroom the usual gossiping started, "Did you see how she didn't even need a note?" "Yes I know, but isn't she so pretty!" and on and on they went. I walked towards where I could feel Stefans presence. I saw him talking to someone, someone who was very familiar to me. That hair, her face all of it was so familiar, but it wasn't Elena I can feel when she is around. "Katherine!" I screamed at Stefan through my mind. "It's not her" he replied quietly. What did he mean it wasn't her? What did he think I was stupid? "I don't think your stupid Lan." He said. Damn projecting again. "Listen for the heart beat Lan." he had returned his attention to the Katherine look-alike. I listened for the heart beats there were twenty seven people in the room and Stefan and there was twenty seven heart beats. How could there be twenty seven. "I told you she wasn't Katherine." I looked at her again and I could see the blood pulsing under her neck. "Anyway why aren't you in class Lan you already missed first and second lesson?" "Blood typing." I said with a shrug of the shoulders. "Well you can't do anything about that." "I'm going home now anyway." "Well make sure you get Damon to drive you." "Yeah ok." I started to walk away. "Oh and Lan?" "What?" "Don't get into too much trouble." "Yes mum." I was mocking him and he knew it. I walked out the front of the school straight up to the curb, I gathered all of my powers and yelled "Damon!" no answer. "Damon I know you can hear me. You don't ever let my first day go without listening in." Something dropped from the tree. I spun around showing my fangs and growling. 


	3. Chapter 3, Powers

I could sense him behind me so I ran at him, I was faster than he expected and so I tackled him to the ground. He laughed "Nice Lan." He said it with real approval. I laughed as well. He looked at me. "Lan what was that?"  
>"What was what?"<br>"You were just projecting a forest!"  
>"I wasn't projecting at all." I looked away. If I wasn't projecting how did he know I was thinking of a forest.<br>"Its getting harder to control isn't it?" He looked at me with worry in his eyes. I put my head down into my hands.  
>"Can we just leave?" Without waiting for him to answer I stood up and ran off. We both knew he was faster than me but he let me lead the way. After a while he realized we weren't heading to the boarding house but he didn't bother to ask where we were going. I was thinking about my conversation with Stefan when suddenly Damon stopped. Please say I wasn't projecting. I heard his voice in my head "What was that Lan?" I turned around and ran to him.<br>"She's human." I said out loud. He looked at me confused. So I replayed the scene of the heart beats in my mind. I saw it sink in. "I'm sorry Damon. I didn't even mean to show you until I knew who she was." He didn't reply so I tried talking through his mind. "Damon please don't shut me out." I started showing him memories to try and calm him down. The concert in Australia, seeing Kim Kardashian in Miami, the first time I met him in the forest when he had ridden me home to his house on his horse, the first time I had my blood drawn by him while I was human, the first time we shared blood while I was a vampire, and I saved this one for last because I could feel that wall still up, spending time with him at our beach in LA. I felt it all melt away. "I am sorry Damon." He looked down at me and smiled.  
>"Its ok Lan, I know you didn't mean to show me and its not your fault she is a manipulative, lying wench, who toyed with my feelings for however many years! Now will you tell me where we are going we're in the middle of nowhere." I looked around and sure enough we were in the middle of nowhere. Hang on I've seen this forest before. It's the one I first met Damon in the one I had been thinking about when I first started running. "Lan you brought us here!" Damon said looking at me in awe. "Try again. Think if a place and run. I'll follow."<br>"Ok?" I was uncertain but I would try. I ran and sure enough within two seconds we were at our beach in LA. I turned and looked at him, he was in black board shorts and I was in a black bikini, this is weird that's exactly how I imagined us?  
>"Well done Lan!" I heard Damon say in my mind. I still didn't understand how we got here. "What does it matter Lan? Don't you remember where we are!" He looked at me, smiling his evil smile. "No Damon don't!" Too late! He swung me over his shoulder and carried me to the water. "Damon I swear to god don't do th..." My head was submerged with water before I could finish. I kicked and screamed until he finally let me go. I ran at him and pushed him under.<p>We continued playing aroud like this for an hour or so when suddenly I started feeling tired, very tired. It was an unusual feeling, one I hadn't had since I was human. "Damon..." I called out and I fainted into the water. It was black everywhere, all around me and then suddenly I was in the light. I was in the forest that we had been in earlier today, the same forest I had been in when I first met Damon. Except this time I was not skipping and picking flowers, this time I was pinned to the floor. For a few seconds there was nothing but recognition of where I was and then he was there, a man I had never before seen in my life. He was standing over me twirling a wooden stake covered in blood, my blood, in his hands. That's when I started to feel the pain. There was a searing pain right down my left arm and five scratch marks across my bare stomach. I could feel a peircing pain in my right leg and I looked down to see a stake sticking out of it. The man looked as if he had only just remembered it was in there so he leant down and pulled it out. I let out a blood curdling scream. All I could hear was his laughter when suddenly I started to jerk around as if someone was shaking me, I could hear a faint whisper on the wind. "Lan?" The wind was saying. "Lani please wake up!" That voice, I knew that voice. Of course it was Damon, but where was he? I could hear him right in my ear now. "Lani please I love you, please wake up!" Wait did he just say he loved me? Everything went black again and I tried opening my eyes. They would just flutter at first until they finally opened.<br>"Damon?" 


	4. Chapter 4, Miami

He was sitting there his head in his hands, which were covered in blood. He didn't seem to hear me because he was mumbling something. I tried using my mental voice. "Damon?" This worked. His icy blue eyes shot straight up at me. He looked so worried and there were bloody hand prints on his face from where he had been leaning. "Oh my god Lani!" He rushed over to me and I could see he was covered in blood. "Are you ok?" I said sitting up. It wasn't usual for Damon to be covered in blood. "I'm fine Lan. It's your blood." He gestured to my stomach and arm, so I looked down and sure enough I was too covered in blood. "What happened Lan?" He almost pleaded of me. I got up and walked towards the bathroom. We were back in the boarding house which for some reason I thought was strange. "Uuumm well I remember playing in the water with you and telling you that I was hungry and tir... AAAAHHHHHHH!" Damon was next to me in a flash. I could see it all replaying in my head, everything the staking, the scratching, all of it. "Make it stop! Please make it stop Damon!" I was clutching him so tightly that for a human it would have been uncomfortable. The images finished and I collapsed into him. Thankfully I didn't faint, I don't think I could have survived seeing that man again. I loosened my grip and looked up into his face. "Lani I..." he saw the whole thing. I must have projected it all to him as I sawe it. "Lani I swear to god I'll kill him!" He said it so coldly that I believed he would. "Can I sleep?" My mental voice asked drowsily. Damon swung me up into his arms. "Of course Lan. I'll protect you!" He replied in my head as he layed me down on the bed. I grabbed him so he fell down beside me. "Damon?" I said out loud, too tired to use my mind. "Mmmm?" "I love you." "I love you too Lan." "Mmmkay." And soon after I fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and happy. I didn't remember dreaming which was a good thing. I smiled and looked over to see what the time was, shit it was already 8:00am. I listened to down stairs and could hear Stefan getting ready to go. "Damon?" I nudged him, but from the looks he was already awake. He opened one eye and smiled "You sound better Lan!" "Thank-you, but I need to get dressed so it's time for you to leave." I said getting off the bed. "Aaaww, can't I just stay here? It's fun watching you get dressed." "No, now get out!" "Make me!" I spun around and showed him my fangs. I growled and ran at him. I landed on top of him and bit down in to his neck I had just started to draw some blood when suddenly I was pulled off and rolled onto the bed. He was now leaning over me. "My turn!" I heard in my head. He bit down just below my collar bone and started to suck. I had always loved having my blood drawn but there was something new about today, something better. A feeling between me and him that never used to be there, or maybe it was and we just didn't realize until now. "It's love!" He spoke to my mind. Hmm love that's weird. I mean I had always loved Damon but I had never felt this before I decided to ask him. So I replied mentally "Why love?" But as expected I didn't get an answer. After a while I started to feel drowsy, so he stopped. "Don't I get some?" We rolled so I was back on top. I showed my fangs and growled. "Lan you don't scare me!" He said it as a joke but it hurt. I sat back and looked at him. I mean I'm a vampire if I'm not scary then what am I? "I didn't mean you aren't scary, I just mean you don't scare me." He was trying to make me feel better but it didn't work. I got off the bed and walked into the bathroom. I started brushing my hair through when I heard him get up. Before I could move he was behind me. He wound his arms around my stomach. "I'm sorry Lan." He said, kissing my neck.  
>"Its ok!" I shrugged. "Look why don't you skip school and we can go feed? You can scare whoever you want then." That did sound appealing, I hadn't feed since I fed off him and I could start to feel the hunger ripping at my stomach. "Ok. Just let me get dressed." He lent down and kissed my neck once more and then he was gone. "Oh and Lan where something nice, I'm going to take you clubbing after we've fed." Clubbing aye? We hadn't been clubbing for nearly a year. What with all the trouble in Mystic Falls, and especially seen as both Damon and Stefan had been running around after Elena like lost puppies. Elena, I couldn't think of a bad thing about her. We had become so close lately that I was happy to say she was like a sister to me. Stefan had been so scared to show me to her in the beginning, what with us both living in the same house and me being like totally unknown to the whole of Mystic Falls, she might get the wrong idea, but it had never been that way between me and Stefan. I had always considered him as an older brother and nothing more. Whereas with Damon, well Damon was something entirely different. I decided I would wear a white dress with black fishnet tights and white ballet slippers. I went into the bathroom to mess around with my hair and chose to quickly curl it. There was no use in using make-up so I went down stairs to find Damon. He was standing in the kitchen with a bourbon in his hand. "You look beautiful Lani." He said smiling I gave his outfit a quick look over. It was the usual black pants, black top, leather jacket and black boots, all to match his black hair and icy blue eyes. "And you look dangerous." He laughed. "So where to?" He asked. I hadn't really thought of this. "Uuumm Miami maybe?" "Sure, but I don't want to take the car." What did he mean not take there car? It would take us like 3 or 4 hours to run to Miamim whereas in a car it would take just under 2. "I want you to transport us there." He said looking down at me. "Uuumm well I guess I can try!" I was very uncertain but he believed in me and that's all that mattered. We walked to the curb and I grabbed his hand. I thought really hard of Miami and ran in a straight line. After a few second he tugged at my hand. "Open your eyes Lan." So I did, and sure enough we were standing in front of a night club in Miami. Too bad it was only like 10:00 in the morning. "What are we going to do to kill a few hours?" I asked as I pulled him along and we started walking. People were staring at us becuase we were just standing there, staring at a night club. "Well I have a house here if ya wanna go there?" He replied, and added mentally. "And you can have your turn." "Yeah sure let's go there." I said casually. I was really dying to get some blood an he had just offered it. <p>


	5. Chapter 5, Thirst and Revelation

We had been walking for about twenty minutes when he turned into the driveway of the most magnificent house I have ever seen. It had three stories and the bottom floor had floor to roof windows. You could see through them that there was a huge pool in the backyard. "House!" I mumured. "You said house not mansion!" I stared at him and he laughed. "House, mansion same thing!" He opened the door and I walked inside. It was even more beautiful inside. The furniture was a beautiful red velvet and he had the biggest book shelf, that it put Stefans to shame. "Oh my god this is beautiful." I said turning around to look at him. "Wait till you see the bedroom." He smirked. "I'll race you?" For some unklnown reason, I felt I had a chance at beating him.  
>"You're on!" "Alright on the count of three!" He siad smirking "One, two." "Three!" I cut in and ran off leaving him startled at the lounge, it wasn't gonna keep him back for long but it was all I needed. I ran into what I thought was the bedroom and realized it was the bathroom. Shit! I lose. When I got into the bedroom I found him lounging on the bed. "you cheated!" I ran up and jumped on him. He laughed.<br>"I didn't cheat Lan, you never asked where the bedroom was." We rolled and now he was on top. "Thats not cheating." I rolled us again so I was on top. "My turn!" I bit down into his neck. It was heavenly. The taste was so sweet and I could feel that he was enjoying it to. I stopped after a while and bent down and kissed him. "Can we go for a swim?" I asked knowing he would say yes. "Of course Lan." I looked down at my clothes, not exactly something you could go swimming in. "You could always go naked Lan!" I hit him in the stomach. "Kidding Lan geez! There's a draw over there," He sadid pointing behind me. "Think hard of what you want and then open it." Ok good, that meant I could get my bikini from the boarding house, but I didn't really want that one. So I thought really hard of this cute one piece I had seen in a magazine. It had the sides cut out and this little broach thing on the middle of it, and of course it was black so I loved it even more. To my delight when I opened the draw there it was. I pulled it out and ran to the bathroom. I put it on and went back to the bedroom, but Damon was no longer on the bed. "Damon?" I asked mentally. "Pool Lan!" What, he was already in there? Asshole! "You got in without me?" I said walking out into the backyard. He was indeed in the pool lounging against the edge. "Just hurry up and get in Lan." So I did. I stepped in and swam over to him. He gave me a quick peck on the cheek and then he was gone. I spun around and he was at the other end of the pool, lounging just the same. He motioned for me to go to him and so I did. This time he kissed me on the lips and then was gone again. I turned around and saw him back in his original spot. I went to him without him motioning or asking there was, something intriguing about this game. When I got to him he pulled me close and kissed me for a longer time. Without the need for breath I didn't understand why we both broke off the kiss breathing hard. "Lan..." He whispered in my ear. There was something with how Damon had been acting lately. I had to think, I had to put my finger on it. He had been so caring, but he had always been like that with me, no this was different caring like the way Stefan cared for Elena. I looked up into his face finally recognizing what it was we were sharing. I touched my lips and he bent down and kissed me again.

A little while later I was floating on the water. He came out of the house holding two glasses of wine. "I thought you didn't like wine?" I asked skeptically. Damon hadn't liked wine for as long as I had known him. "Aaah but this is a special wine." He said walking toward me in the pool. He had some fabric in his hands. "what's that." I asked taking my glass of wine. "It is a swim suit. My favourite swim suit." He said handing it to me. It was a black strapless bikini with angel written on the back of the bottoms and devil written across the front of the top. "Of course it would be your favourite." I said putting it on. "it's black." He laughed and helped me do up the top. "Whats the time?" I was really looking forward to going clubbing and it was starting to get dark out. "It's six." "Can we go in a minute?" "Yeah, of course. What would you like for dinner? Chinese, Japanese, ooh how about Australian?" I couldn't help but laugh. That had to be one of the stupidest things he had ever said to me. "Why don't we just go for a walk and when I smell something nice we can share that?" "Sounds good." I had already finished my wine so I got up out of the pool. I walked up into the bathroom and put my dress back on. I walked over to Damons special draw and thought hard about a pair of black high heeled shoes I had seen on a lady while we were walking. I opened the draw and there they were, brand new ones too, they still had the tags on. I hooked them on and went back into the bathroom to fix my hair. It was still wet so I dried it and then re-curled it. This time I did put some make-up on, only a little bit of red lip stick and some mascara, nothing over the top. I walked downstairs and found Damon watching television. "Ready to go Damon?" He switched the tele off and came around. "Wow!" He said looking at me. "What?" I didn't understand I had worn this when we first came here. "You should wear make-up more often." He said smiling. "The red really suits you." Well ok then. "So which way do you want to go?" He asked. "We could go towards MoonLight? Or we could go back towards that one we were in front of earlier?" "Lets go to MoonLight. I haven't seen that side of Miami much." "Well let's go then!" We walked out the front door and down the street when I smelt it. It was the most amazing thing I had ever smelt. I was gravitating towards it. I rounded a corner and there he was. It was a boy who would of been about 19. He was sitting there smoking. I pulled Damon with me and projected everything I was thinking and feeling to him so he would know what was going on. He was smiling beside me happy that I had found something I wanted. I let go of Damon's hand and walked over to the boy. "Hello!" I said and he looked up. He looked around to see if anyone else was with me, and Damon must have hidden because the boy smiled seeing that I was alone. "Are you talking to me?" He sounded incredulous. I mean it wasn't as if he was bad looking. "Of course!" I smiled a dazzling smile and the boy seemed to gain a lot of confidence. "So what's your name beautiful?" He threw the cigarette down and walked over to me. "Lani." I looked down. It was fun to play around with him. "Well Lani do ya wanna get out of here? My place is just around the corner." I looked around to see where Damon was. I wasn't sure if I should go to this boys house or not. "Go for it Lan. I'll follow behind." I heard him assure me mentally. "Well stay close in case I lose it." He knew what I meant. At any second I was going to lose my battle with my thirst and walking down a crowed street wasn't going to help. "Yeah why not?" I said to the boy. He pushed me up against the wall and tried to kiss me. "Why don't we just do it here!" He said breathing heavily in my face. Great he was drunk. I decided that there was no point in prolonging it anymore. I pushed him back and made him focus on my eyes. "You will not be scared of me!" I was influencing him so he was more or less a puppet. "I am going to bite you and you will not run screaming, you won't even squirm, understand?" "I understand!" I bit down into his neck and just as I said he didn't move. His blood didn't taste as sweet as it smelt but it definitely quenched the need that the smell had brought on. I took just enough that he wouldn't be in any harm of dying and sat him back down where he was when he first saw me. I made him focus on my eyes again. "You don't remember me at all, you passed out here because you drank too much understand?" "I understand!" "Good then go to sleep." And with that he fell asleep instantly. I turned around and Damon was walking up to me. "What happened to scaring him?" "I couldn't wait and plus I didn't want him to scream." I gave him one last look over. The wound I had left would be healed by morning and then all the memory of tonight he would have is the one I planted there. "So are we still going clubbing?" I wasn't very sure we would be. "Yeah of course!" We walked down to the end of the alley way and looked out onto the street. It was filled with things, hot dog stands, prostitutes, people trying to sell us things and people asking for money. The buildings were all nightclubs with bright neon lights and funny names. We walked until we found MoonLight. I influenced the bouncer to let us in and once were inside we went straight to the bar. Damon of course ordered a bourbon and I decided to join him. I wanted to get totally drunk. "Lets dance!" I pulled him onto the dance floor and we started to dance just like all the other drunken people in there. A man was walking over to me. Why did he look so familiar? I don't remember ever seeing him before not in real life I would of remembered him. So where had I seen him? I flashed back to the dream with the man and the stake. It was the same guy. He hadn't quite made it to us yet so I turned and ran. I was out of there in a flash. None of the humans would have noticed, but Damon did and he was following me. I ran all the way back to his house and inside. "What happened?" He finally screamed at me. "It was him!" I said and I projected all of the memory of the club back at him. He started to turn but I grabbed him. "I said I'd kill him Lan and I swear to god I will!" "You can't!" "The hell I can't" He said coldly. "Because you can't leave me alone!" I fell into his arms mumbling "Please don't leave me alone!" "I won't Lan. But next time we're not running!" After a few seconds he said. "Lets go home Lan?" "Ok!" I took his hand, thought hard of the boarding house and ran. 


	6. Chapter 6, Nosy Parker Elena

When we got back to the boarding house i saw Elena's car in the driveway. I burst into the house, "Elena!" I ran lightening fast into the lounge room.  
>"Lani!" Elena jumped up out of the chair and ran over to me. We hugged for about a minute before Damon cleared his throat behind us. "Dont I get one?" Elena laughed and walked over and gave him a hug and a quick peck on the cheek.<br>"I missed you Damon." she said walking back to sit with Stefan She grabbed my hand as she passed and and pulled me to sit with her.  
>"As I did you fair Elena." Damon went to the alcohol cabinet and poured himself a bourbon before he sat on the sofa opposite us. Elena and I had started talking about school and how I'd been ditching so much of it."They were doing blood-typing!" I was trying to defend myself from a human of all things, but when she wanted to Elena could be scary.<br>"Lani you shouldn't ditch school. It's not good for your education!" My education, what was this mad woman on about? In my lifetime I had graduated school almost 90 times and she thinks its bad for my education! I must of been projecting because both Damon and Stefan started to piss themselves laughing."Lani what did you tell them?" She knew me too well sometimes.  
>"Nothing I meant to promise!" "What do you mean you didnt mean to? You have to mean to do it for it to work! Don't you?" I turned to stare at Stefan, glare was probably a better word.<br>"You didn't tell her?" Underneath the anger I knew that he just didn't want to step on my toes by telling her. Giving me the opportunity to tell her myself, but still, I hadn't seen her for almost three weeks how was I suppose to tell her?  
>"What havent you told me Stefan?" Elena was getting angry, she hated being left out of the loop.<br>"Its alright Elena I'm sure Lani will tell you all about it herself."  
>"It's fine Elena honest! It's just getting harder to control what I project and sometimes I don't know that I am projecting. That's all!" She looked appalled.<br>"You cant control it anymore? But what does this mean? Like what will happen to you?" I didn't know how to answer, I just sat there dumbfounded for a few seconds before Damon answered for me.  
>"It doesn't mean anything Elena, its just a minor thing." "Minor thing? She cant control her powers anymore, how is that minor?" she was horrified that Damon would try and blow it off.<br>"Its nothing Elena trust me!" He was trying to soothe her.  
>"You cant push it over, she has a right to know!" Stefan always the sensible one, but they were all talking about me! Didn't I have a say in it all? "Guys!" they stopped bickering and turned to look at me. "Its all going to be fine ok? Just drop it!" They turned and looked at each other and nodded. I flicked the T.V on to stop the awkward silence. Damon started up a conversation with Elena and I sat there and pretended to watch the T.V. "Lan?" Damon was talking to me through our mind link, while keeping his conversation with Elena going. "Mmmm?" "Do you really think anything could happen to you? I mean with the whole not being able to control it thing?" He sounded genuinely worried. Why was I surprised by that? I shouldn't be, I mean not with the way we had been acting over the past few days.<br>"I dont think anything will happen Damon!" I honestly believe nothing will happen. "Ok Lani, but promise you'll tell me if anything else happens!"  
>"I promise!" I smiled at myself hoping he would see and know it was for him. The next hour passed without any dramas.<p>"Lani? Lani?" "Huh? Oh ah what?" Elena had been calling me, while I had been thinking of something else, something I must have been projecting to Damon. It took him a minute to regain his control. His face showed sadness, anger, helplessness and longing. But what was he longing for? "I was asking you about the Mystic Falls High School Prom."<br>"Yeah what about it?" I had only just started at Mystic Falls High so I couldn't understand what she was getting at.  
>"Well its this weekend and I was wondering if you would go with me? I mean of course Stefan will go as my date." Stefan nodded in agreement. "But I would really like you to go with me too. I know you have only just started there and all but you know maybe we could get dressed together and stuff..." She looked away like she wished she hadn't brought it up.<br>"Are you kidding? I'd love to go with you!" And then I was engulfed in a monsterous hug.  
>"Oh thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!" Damon started laughing at us acting like little school girls.<br>"Dont think you're getting out of this so easily!" I said to him. He looked confused. "Who do you think is going as my date?" He looked at me and smiled his wonderful smile. He got up and walked over, he grabbed my hand out of Elena's and kissed the top of it. He was being the full gentleman. "I would love to go with you Miss Lani." He smiled and added mentally, "I knew all along I was going with you, you had projected an image of us when Elena first mentioned going to the prom!" He winked at me and I blushed. If vampires can blush? I think we can. Later that night Elena and I had gone into the kitchen to get her something to eat. "What do ya want?" I asked peering into the cupboards. Stefan had stocked up on human food since he and Elena had started dating. "I want to know what's going on between you and Damon?" She said it the way most human girls do when they gossip.  
>"Nothing really." I said shrugging my shoulders. "We've just been hanging out lately." She looked upset by the lack of information.<br>"Your lying Lani!" Damon said in my mind. Of course he would be eaves dropping its in his nature.  
>"Well what do you want me to say?" I asked him. I wasn't really sure what we were doing anyway.<br>"Tell her the truth?" he suggested.  
>"Like what? Oh yeah me and Damon we've had sex a few times and you know just been doing the whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing for the past few days?"<br>"Not exactly like that but something similar!" "Your serious? Tell her we're dating?" "Yes!" Damon actually wanted to date me! And he wanted me to tell people we were dating. Wow! "Oh dont sound so surprised Lani! I told you all this in Miami!" Well I suppose he had edged towards it, but something always got in the way. Elena still looked upset and had started eating an apple.  
>"Is that any good?" She looked up at me using those pleading eyes that worked on Stefan and for a time had worked on Damon. "I dont know I've just been hanging out with it." I hated when she did this and since Damon had said it was ok I decided to tell her the truth.<br>"Fine! Geez Elena you sure know how to get someone to spill. Damon and I are dating!" The look on her face was priceless. "You happy?" I spoke it both physically and mentally. Elena just started to jump around the room saying, "Yes of course Lani! OMG! OMG!" I heard Damon chuckle in my mind.  
>"Elena please stop!" I grabbed both her shoulders under my hands and there was no way for her to move from under my hands. "Im sorry, I'm just happy is all!" "Haha I know me too!" I smiled and she smiled back. I could feel her stop bouncing under my hands. I let her go and she hugged me.<br>"I am truly happy for you Lani!"  
>"And me? Are you happy for me?" Damon had entered the room.<br>"Why of course!" she ran and went to hug him but pulled back at the last minute. "But if you hurt her Damon Salvatore I will find a way to hurt you!" She looked at him carefully while he chose his words.  
>"I promise fair Elena, that I will not hurt her for as long as we both shall live!" I blushed again, luckily Elena didnt see for she was too busy throwing her arms around him. He looked up at me over her head and smiled. "Do you mean that?" I asked mentally.<br>"Yes!" He let go of Elena and came over to me. He put his arm around my shoulders."Forever!" His voice whispered in my mind. Elena giggled at the sight of us. "Ok Saint Stefan, we know you right there. Come on in and join the party." Damon was right I could feel Stefan's presence just outside the door. He came in and went and stood by Elena, she grabbed his hand. "So do you guys want to go to the grill?" Elena asked. I looked up at Damon. "Well I'd like to go." I said.  
>"Then its settled we're going!" Elena made the decision for the boys, not that Stefan would have objected. He did anything Elena asked of him.<br>"Me and Lani can take my car." Damon said. So it seemed he was down too.  
>"Ok just let me get changed. Elena would you like a change of clothes?" "Yeah sure!" Elena linked her arm through mine and we left the guys there and went up to my room. <p>


	7. Chapter 7, The Grill

"Black is a nice colour on you Lan!" Elena was admiring the black dress I had put on.  
>"Thanks! I like the white on you." Elena hadn't decided what to wear yet. I pointed towards a white dress that I had in my closet. It was a designer brand not that Elena needed to know that. "Well if you're sure it will look nice!" Elena grabbed the white dress and put it on. We had stripped down to our underwear when we first came into my room. I zipped it up for her and pulled her towards the bathroom. "Close your eyes!" She obeyed like she normally does. I put some make-up on her and did her hair, I put some high heels onto her feet and then pulled her in front of my full-length mirror. "Well what do you think?" She opened her eyes and gasped.<br>"I look good enough to meet the Queen, not just to go to the grill." She looked happy and that was all that mattered. She turned and looked at me and gasped again. While I had been doing her hair and make-up I had been doing my own. I had quickly curled my hair again and put on a little lipstick. I had even pulled on my favourite black heels. "You look gorgeous!" She said. "But this must have taken you hours!" she said turning back to the mirror.  
>"Actually it took just under five minutes." I smiled at her.<br>"Really?" "Really, really!"  
>"I'm so glad you're doing my make-up for prom. Nobody at school will have such an amazing artist with them!" She smiled and turned and gave me a huge hug. "Easy Elena!" she let me go. "Come on the guys are waiting." I told her starting towards the door. She grabbed my hand and together we walked down. In the car Damon took my hand. "Are you ok Lan?" I had been very quiet on the way to the grill. "Yeah I'm fine." He didn't look convinced."I'm fine Damon, I'm just wondering what we're going to be like in the grill." "What do you mean?"<br>"I mean like how we're going to act." I turned and looked out the window.  
>"Lan, I dont care how we act in the grill. As long as I am with you nothing could be better." I smiled out the window. He was really taking this seriously. "I love you Lani." "I love you too Damon." We didnt exchange many more words after that until we reached the grill. "Will you hold my hand the whole time?" I asked quietly. I didnt want him to say no.<br>"It would be my pleasure Lani." We got out the car just as Stefan and Elena pulled up.  
>"Took your time Stef!" I said. He just smiled at me and grabbed Elena's hand.<br>"You ready?" He said to her.  
>"Definitely!" She smiled. We walked in and saw Bonnie and Caroline sitting in a booth. It was good that they were sorting out their problems. They had hardly spoken since Caroline had become a vampire. I hated seeing friendships ruined over vampires. Bonnie looked up at us when we entered and smiled. "Elena, Lani!" She came over and hugged us. I couldn't help but notice my hug was distant, but she had always been that way I mean she didnt really like vampires. To tell the truth she loathed them, but she was trying hard to make exceptions. Caroline came over and hugged us too.<br>"You two look amazing!" She said to Elena and I.  
>"Its all thanks to Lani, she does wonders in five minutes." Elena squeezed my arm. "Its a good thing she's my stylist for prom!" Elena added and Caroline and Bonnies eyes opened wide. "Your going to do Elena's hair and make-up for prom?" They both asked in unison.<br>"Why of course! I am attending too with my own date." Their eyes travelled down my arm to mine and Damon's linked hands.  
>"So when did this happen?" Caroline asked.<br>"It doesnt matter!" Elena said quickly, she knew I hated to gossip. "Can we join you guys?" "Well I was just leaving." Bonnie said.  
>"Oh well Caroline will you join us?" Elena looked sad. Bonnie hardly ever hung out with her if I was with her.<br>"Yeah of course." "Ok well bye Bonnie. I'm sorry you cant stay." Bonnie hugged her and said goodbye to everyone. After she had left we went over to the empty boothe. Damon and I sat on one side and Caroline, Elena and Stefan sat on the other. Damon lounged back in the chair draping his arm over my shoulders. I cuddled into him."You hungry Elena?" I asked. "I'll share some chips with you." She looked up at me.  
>"Yeah I guess I am a bit hungry." "Ok well you come with me and order." We left them sitting at the table. "Wanna get some drinks?" "Yeah I guess. Hey Lan?"<br>"Yeah?"  
>"Do you love Damon?" "Yes, I think I have for a while." She smiled at me and we grabbed the drinks. When we got back to the table Stefan and Damon were in an argument. "Whats going on?" I asked not really wanting to know what the answer was.<br>"Saint Stefan here thinks we should never have gone to Miami." "Why not?" I didn't see what the harm in Miami was.  
>"Because you had just collapsed and been tortured only twelve hours before you went!" Stefan exclaimed.<br>"You have a point Stefan but I felt fine and I wanted to do something to take my mind off that." "You were tortured?" Oh shit Elena didnt know. "When? By who? How?" They were all legitimate questions but I didnt know how to answer them.  
>"I dont know who it was Elena, I've never seen him before in my life. As for the when it was the day I ditched school. And the how was a stake. Happy?" It was too hard keeping secrets from Elena and I loved her too much to want to.<br>"But your ok now right?" "Yes Elena I am fine!" "Well then it doesnt matter, although I would love to know who did it."  
>"You and me both." Damon added quietly.<br>"Lets just talk about something different. Caroline, who are you going to prom with?" "Well Matt hopefully." She said. "But I dont know if I will one, have the control to be with him for a whole night and two, have the courage to actually ask him to go with me."  
>"As for one, I know you can control yourself because you are getting heaps better at it and two is just stupid you are the bravest chick I know."<br>"Aaaw thanks Lani!" She smiled at me. I saw Matt out the corner of my eye.  
>"Look there's your chance." I said nodding towards Matt. "You really think I can do it?"<br>"I know you can!" She took a deep breathe and stood up. She downed her drink and said,  
>"Well here goes." We all watched her walk away and her and Matt talk, I could probably hear them if I wanted to but I figured their conversation was private. But of course that didn't stop Damon.<br>"Anything good?" I asked him mentally rather than upset Elena by dobbing him in for eaves dropping.  
>"Not really, bunch a small talk... Aaaaah here we go!" I turned and looked at them but it seemed as though nothing had changed. Caroline had moved an inch closer but that was it. I gave up on my conscience and decided to listen in.<br>"Really?" Caroline asked him. The surprise in her voice made the conversation sort of intriguing.  
>"Yeah."<br>"Well I'd love too!" What? What would she love too? "There going on a date this Friday!" Damon explained. That was weird I know I wasn't projecting I have been concentrating the whole time we were here not too."I can tell by your face Lani." Oh, ok now I get it.  
>"I haven't been on a date in years." I moaned. Oooops i said it out loud oh oh. Elena was looking at me as though I was a mad woman, Damon was laughing at me and Stefan was laughing at Damon. "What are you going on about Lani?" Elena asked.<br>"Oh I was just thinking and stuff..." I trailed off and looked away. She didn't seem convinced. "Well why hasn't anyone taken you on a date? I mean your gorgeous." She said while staring at Damon. I knew that look it means why haven't you done it? "Elena thinks we should go on a date doesnt she?" I asked Damon mentally.  
>"Yes." Elena was still looking at me probably expecting an answer from one of us. She looked around at the three of us and when no one answered she dropped it leaning back into the chair. "I'm bored." I announced randomly. "Do you guys wanna go and do something fun?" Damon was always game for something fun, Stefan on the other hand I wasnt so sure about.<br>"Well, I kinda wanna go home." Elena said turning towards Stefan. "Can I stay at the boarding house tonight?" "Of course, lets go." They stood up and so did I. Damon on the other hand stayed seated. I hugged Elena.  
>"I'll see you in the morning ok. We can ditch school and go and do something." I gave her a big smile.<br>"Ok that sounds nice." I nodded goodbye to Stefan. "Goodnight brother." Damon was always so rude to Stefan. "Damon." Stefan nodded in acknowledgement. And with that they left. 


	8. Chapter 8, I Know, Lets Go To Paris

Damon and I never ended up going anywhere. So I was curled up on the lounge with a glass of bourbon watching the television. Damon was sitting at my feet. "This show is boring and I'm hungry." I complained. The first part wasnt quite true the show was actually quite interesting but I had seen this episode before, the second part on the other hand was 100% truthful. I had been fighting the urge for about five hours and I was sick of it. "Well lets go get something to drink." Damon said standing up. He was always hungry. "What do you want? Blood bag? We could go and rob a hospital? Fresh? I'll bet hundreds of guys would let you the way you look right now. Or we could try Stefans diet and go get some poor bunnies?" The last part was meant as a joke, but the midle one had me thinking.  
>"Do you think i look pretty?" I asked.<br>"No!" I turned away I should have known he would say something like that. He tilted my face so I was inches from his. "I dont think your pretty Lani, I think you are beautiful!" He kissed me and I felt fireworks go off in my head. I stood up and grabbed his hand, I dragged him to my room and shut the door behind me.  
>"I came up with another alternative." I said with a smirk on my face.<br>"Oh yeah, whats that?" He probably already knew what I was going to do but I liked to think I would surprise him.  
>"You!" I said it short and sweet and then I pounced, fangs bared. He caught me and threw me on the bed. He pulled his top off over his head and came over.<br>"I think I can deal with that." We rolled so I was sitting on him and I bit down into his neck. The sensation was so sweet. Nothing compared to this. The way his blood tasted was beyond anything any human could eat. After a few minutes I pulled back and in a flash I was the one lying on the bed with Damon leaning over me. "My turn." I smiled as he tilted my head up and exposed my throat. Once Damon had finished I went into the bathroom to put my PJ's on and clean up a bit. When I looked in the mirror I could see the bite mark was already gone. I washed my face and arms and quickly got into my jami's. I went back into my room to find Damon already under the covers. "I wasn't aware you were staying the night sir." "Well I thought seen as I'm already here." He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. I got into the bed next to him and snuggled close. "Im going to sleep now." I warned. "And if I am woken up before at least ten tomorrow someone is going to die." "That goes for you too Stefan!" I sent it out with a surge mentally. I heard him sigh, and Damon say.  
>"Whatever Lani!" And with that I went to sleep.<p>**DREAM** "I wonder where I am?" I know it's stupid to talk to yourself but I have a habit of doing it. This place is so beautiful. I was in a forest. It had huge trees with, long green leaves on them all. It was just on dusk and I loved the way the sunlight glistened in the leaves. I had been walking for what seemed like weeks. In truth it had only been a few days but it seemed so much longer. I could hear my bare feet crunching on the bark and dry leaves. And the smell of it was wonderful. It was a mix of wood and wildflowers and a cologne, but I must be crazy I'm here by myself. I sighed "I've been by myself since I ran away." I screamed out.<br>"What did you run from?" A voice called out. I spun around and leaning on a tree behind me was a gorgeous man. He was dressed in a black suit, one that did not suit the time. It was as if he was from the 1860's. But how could he be, it was the 1880's now. "What did you run from?" He repeated.  
>"My parents." It just bubbled out. Why was I going into this with a total stranger. Especially seen as my stomach was screaming at me to run. But I couldn't I was mesmerised by this mysterious man. "And what happened with your parents?" He asked.<br>"They died." I said. "Then how can you run from them?" "Because they haunt me. I see them in the forest near where I used to live."  
>"How do you see them?" "I dont know! But they are different like they are alive but they arent. I watched them die."<br>"Young one may I ask how they died?" "I suppose so. A man he came and made us drink this weird wine and then he snapped there necks while I watched and then he..."  
>"He did what child?" "He came at me." I whispered.<br>"And what did he do?"  
>"He killed me..."<p>

**END DREAM**

I sat up quickly, and Damon rolled over. Thank god, I was back in my bed in the comfort of my home. I lent down and kissed groaned "What happened to nobody waking you up before ten?" He questioned. I leant over him and checked my phone. Hah, it was ten on the dot.  
>"Sucks to be you Damon." He rolled over so he was facing away from me.<br>"And whys that Lani?"  
>"Cause it's ten!" I pushed him so that he rolled on to the floor, but the loud thud it should of made never happened. I lent over the bed to see if he was on the floor and he wasnt I sat back up. "Ok where are you?" Stupid question.<br>"Right here!" and before I could register what was happening I was on the floor.  
>"Not funny Damon." I said standing up. "Oh come on Lan you know it is." I sighed.<br>"I suppose it is a little bit." I walked over to my wardrobe, grabbed a jumper and shrugged into it. "Is Elena awake yet?" I asked him.  
>"Yeah!" "Ok cool." I walked out of my room and down into the kitchen and sure enough sitting at the table with Stefan was Elena. "Morning guys." I said making a coffee, apparently coffee helps the cravings or something.<br>"Morning Lan." Elena said getting up and walking over to me.  
>"So where do you want to go today? We can go anywhere in the world." Elena started laughing.<br>"Sure we can."  
>"I'm serious Elena." She looked confused and so did Stefan. "Aaaaah Damon hasn't told you's." I said nodding my head. Typical Damon.<br>"Told us what Lani?" Stefan asked.  
>"I can teleport my self and whoever else is with me where ever I want. How do you think me and Damon went to Miami?" I asked.<br>"I honestly didn't know." Stefan said. I turned back to Elena.  
>"So where do you want to go? I know, we'll go to Paris and I'll buy you your prom dress." I was satisfied with that. Elena still seemed confused. "Alright I'm going to get to dressed I'll meet you out the front in five ok?" "Ok." She said uncertain. I raced upstairs. Damon was still asleep in my bed. I jumped on the bed and kicked him. "Out quick I gotta get dressed." "Aaw come on Lan! Can't I just stay here?" "Nope now out."<br>"Fine! But I'll remember this next time you sleep in my bed." He smirked and walked out. Damn he left his top now Elena's gonna ask questions. I quickly put on a black dress, some stockings and ankle boots. I peeked in the mirror and my hair wasnt as bad as I thought it would be. I put it up and went downstairs to find Elena.  
>"You look heaps nice Lani!" She said when I found her out the front. "You ready to go?" I asked.<br>"Well I guess so."  
>"It'll be fine Elena just take my hand." She grabbed my hand. I turned to her. "Have you had breakfast yet?"<br>"No why?" "Cause that's where we'll go first." I flicked her up into my arms and ran into the forest thinking hard of a cafe I had once been to near the Eiffel Tower. I closed my eyes.

I could hear and smell the change before I could see it. I slowly opened my eyes and placed Elena on the ground, her eyes were still pulled shut tightly. "Elena it's ok, you can open your eyes now." I said tugging on her arm. She openned her eyes and I heard the little gasp in shock. She turned wide eyed to look at the Eiffel Tower. "Geez Elena it's not the first time you've been here you know."  
>"I know." She turned to face me. "Thank-you Lani." She gave me a hug.<br>"Dont thank me just now, we havent found you a dress yet." I said pulling out of the hug. I gave her an encouraging smile. "So are you ready for breakfast?" "Yeah sure. Where are we going?" "Right over there." I said pointing at a little cafe. She smiled. 


	9. Chapter 9, Dresses of Disaster

"Have you got it on yet Elena?" I had been standing out the front of her change room for five minutes now.  
>"Uuum, well yeah."<br>"Then give me a look." She opened the change room door and stepped out. "Wow!" was all I could say. She had an elegant white dress on. It had a corset top and the bottom was filled out with layers and layers of fabric. "You look fantastic!" "You really think so?" "Hell yeah Elena!" She smiled and turned to face the mirror. The back of the dress was even prettier. Somehow they had made what looked like a corset at the front become backless at the back, it was amazing.  
>"I suppose I do look kinda nice." She said doing little twirling motions in the mirror."And you think Stefan will like it?" She asked.<br>"Yes Elena, he loves these kinds of dresses." A young lady came over to us.  
>"Would you like any help madam?" She asked me.<br>"Yes, I would like to buy this dress please?" She turned to look a Elena.  
>"Well Madam you look fabulous." She said with a smile. Elena blushed a little.<p>Five minutes later we walked out of the shop. Elena was carrying her dress in a huge white bag draped over her arm. "So what are you going to wear Lani?" She started walking down one of the many side streets. "I dont really know." I said. "But there is this shop down here somewhere that sells these beautiful black dresses."<br>"I think black is beautiful on you Lani." Elena burst out. I smiled.  
>"And white looks absolutely amazing on you Elena." I found the shop I was looking for, Beauty In Black, well thats what it translated to in English, in French it was very hard to pronounce. "Come on Elena, now you have to help me pick a dress." I pulled her into the shop. There were black dresses everywhere, and they were all gourgeous. I heard Elena mutter "wow" under her breath. "So where do we start?" I asked her.<br>"Well how about we both go through the aisles and pick two dresses each and at the end you can try them all on. Hows that?" "That sounds perfect. I'll take these two aisles and you take them two." I headed off down my first aisle when I saw it. It was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It was a deep black, almost as if it were a moonless sky and it was like Elenas. It had a corset top and a wide bottom. "Elena?" I called out to her.  
>"What is it Lani?" "Come here for a second?" "What is it?" She asked coming up behind me. All I could do was point. She gasped. "Oh Lani it's beautiful. And it would suit you so well."<br>"Do you think?" I asked.  
>"Well there's only one way to find out, and that's trying it on." She said grabbing the dress and pulling me towards the change rooms.<p>

"Come on Lani we haven't got all day!" Elena was getting impatient. In truth I had, had the dress on for a few minutes but I couldnt get over what it looked like on me. I actually looked quite beautiful in it. "Lani if you dont get that dress on I'm coming in there and forcing you into it." I openned the door and stepped out. Her mouth dropped open.  
>"So, what do you think?" "Lani, you... look..." She was scrambling for words. I started laughing.<br>"It doesnt look that nice." I said still laughing.  
>"Oh yes it does!" She pushed me around to look in the mirror. "There is no doubt we are getting this dress for you." She pushed me into the changeroom. "Now hurry up and take it off so we can go home. Im tired." She did seem a bit tired. "Ok Elena."<p>

We walked into the boarding house door to find Stefan and Damon at each others throats. I calmly handed Elena my dress and got in between them. Elena looked horrified, but I had seen this way to many times for it to phase me. "So is someone going to tell me what this is about?" I had them pushed apart, one hand on each of there chests.  
>"Let him." Stefan snarled. I pushed Stefan back and he didn't come forward again.<br>"Damon?" I turned to look up at him. He turned his face away. "Damon?" I shook him a little. Still no answer. I threw him over the couch. "Damon, what did you do?" I was starting to get angry he always told me what had happened. He got up and was back in front of me in a flash. He stroked the side of my face. "Oh Lani." He murmered. He was drunk. This was not looking good. I grabbed his hand. "You have to tell me what happened Damon." I looked at him with pleading eyes. "I..." He pulled his hand out of mine and walked over to the alcohol cabinet. He started to pour himself another drink. I was over there in a flash and I grabbed the bottle out of his hand.  
>"You what Damon?" he looked at me and almost fell on me. His head resting on my shoulder he was pullling me so close it hurt.<br>"I was bitten." He whispered into my shoulder. Elena wouldnt of been able to hear him. "By what?" I repeated just as quietly.  
>"A werewolf..." "A what...?" I pushed him away and grabbed his hand and in a flash we were up in his room. "Where?" I asked. It was barely a whisper, I dont think I could control my voice any louder. He pulled his top off to reveal a bite on top half of his arm. I walked over to him. "How?" I could feel the tears start to sting in my eyes and before I knew it they were over flowing. He reached up and wiped them away. "After you left yesterday, I was bored so I drove out into the forest hoping to come across some campers. I drove for a long time and soon it was dark. I hadn't realised it was suppose to be a full moon. I saw a campfire and thought it would be a perfect place to grab a feed and go. But they weren't really campers, it was a pack of werewolves. I could smell them as soon as I got out the car but unfortunately so could they. One of the older ones had already turned and started to chase me. I ran from him but soon there were three or four who had turned. One of them bit me and I ran back here as fast as I could." He pulled me close again. "Oh Lani I'm so sorry." He was sorry, thats all he could think to say. No "we'll find a way through this" or "there has to be a cure" just I'm sorry. Well that was it. I collapsed into his arms sobbing that loudly that Elena could pobably hear me and all the time Damon just kept saying "I'm sorry Lani!" I pushed away from him. Hearing I'm sorry just wasnt gonna cut it.I wiped the tears out of my eyes.<br>"We will find a way to cure this!" I said.  
>"Lani, you know there is no cure for a werewolf bite." "I dont care what I know, there has to be a way through this!" I was getting angry. I had to believe there was something I could do or I was going to have a mental breakdown and I couldn't face that. I stared straight into his eyes. They were filled with regret and sorrow. "Haven't I lost enough?" I asked him. "Lani I." I cut him off there.<br>"If you say I'm sorry one more time I'm going to have a fit!" "I was going to say I love you..."  
>"Oh, well I love you too Damon." He pulled me close, this time so it was just a hug.<br>"Stay with me tonight Lani?" He was getting tired. The werewolf bite really took alot out of him, not to mention he had only just been fighting with Stefan. "Of course." I pulled him over to the bed not bothering to go and change my clothes, he needed me now and that was all that mattered. I projected images to him, of things like running in the field we lived in during the 1890's, or when we had tricked Stefan into thinking we were dead with the fake stakes, or when we had gone to Miami playing outside in the pool. I finished with a projection of me and Damon walking down the street it was the early 1900's and I had my armed looped through his, he had been joking about god knows what but we were both laughing and he had a smile on his face that I hadn't seen in a while. I didn't sleep that night, instead I lay there and listened to Damon's breathing. It was slow and peaceful despite his bite. I couldn't get my brain to shut down. I kept picturing Damon dead. I silently prayed that I wouldn't fall asleep, knowing that nightmares were certain to be waiting for me. There has to be a way to save him, I thought furiously. He will not die! But as hard as I tried I couldn't think of any way to help him. 


	10. Chapter 10, Sacrifice, What Sacrifice

Before I could blink morning was upon us and Damon started to stir. "Lani?" He whispered.  
>"I'm here Damon." I replied unemotionally.<br>"Thank-you Lani." "What for?" "Everything..." All of a sudden he gasped in pain and started writhering around. "Damon?" He was screaming in pain. I shook him and his eyes started to roll into the back of his head. "Damon!" I was screaming out loudly as Stefan burst through the door. He could see Damon writhering around on the floor. He went over there and picked Damon up putting him on the bed. "Blood Lani!" Stefan almost screamed at me, and in that instant I knew Damon wouldn't die as long as Stefan was here. I sprinted to the basement and gathered two blood bags. When I re-entered Damon's room he had stopped moaning and writhering, but he looked exhausted. "Here." I said handing the bag to him. He took it slowly as if it hurt him. As soon as he started drinking the colour came back little by little to his cheeks and once he had finished the second bag he smiled his usual smirk. "Thanks for that Lan." He said cheerfully. I stared at him. Ten seconds ago he had been in so much pain he could barely move and now he was being happy. Stefan had the same look on his face as what I expected mine to look like. Damon looked back and forth between me and Stefan. "Geez guys lighten up!" He laughed.  
>"Lighten up?" I half screamed at him. "Damon Salvatore you have no idea what you put me through and if it happens again I swear to god I will stake you myself!" And with that I stalked out of the bedroom before anyone could stop me. I heard Damon call after me but I couldn't deal with him right now. I decided to go to Elena's to take my mind off things. It was only a short drive to Elena's and I took Damons car so it took half as much time. When I pulled up I realised I was still in my Paris clothes. How was I going to explain this to her? I was about to leave again when she opened the front door. She stood there in her pyjamas waiting for whoever was hidden in the car. I opened the door and stepped out. Elena gasped and ran over to me. She hugged me and I fell into her the way Damon had last night. She never asked what had happened or why I hadn't changed my clothes, she just pulled me inside and gave me some spare pyjamas. I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. My eyes were red and puffy and I looked like I hadn't slept in a week. I splashed my face with some water and changed into Elena's pyjamas. When I came out she had bags of chips, lollies and a tub of icecream. I sat down on the bed next to her. "You are a life saver." I whispered openning the icecream. It probably seems weird being a vampire and having a human food feast, but it felt good to at least pretend that it was making me feel better. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to..." Elena started but trailed off. I wasn't sure if I wanted to but I felt like I needed to.<br>"Did you know that supposedly a werewolf bite kills a vampire?" I asked praying Stefan had told her that much.  
>"Yeah Stefan has mentioned it." "Well a certain cocky, assholish vampire was biten." I looked away but I could feel her gaze on my face.<br>"It wasn't Damon was it?" I was thankful that I had held it together till now, but there was no stopping the tears once I looked up into Elena's face. I broke down into sobs and Elena pulled me into a hug. She just hugged me and we sat like that until I could cry no more, during which I heard Elena have a little cry of her own. She too cared for Damon just not the way I did. We layed down on her bed and tried to talk about unimportant things but nothing held my attention for long. I was exhausted physically and emotionally and I ended up falling asleep on her bed.

I woke up to the sound of Damon and Elena fighting. "You can't see her Damon!" Thank god for Elena. I couldn't handle crying anymore.  
>"You can't stop me Elena!"<br>"Wanna watch me?" I heard Damon laugh harshly and I could picture the smirk on his face. I tried to tune out their voices, Elena wouldn't let Damon in so there was no need to listen. Spoke too soon, next thing I knew Elena's bedroom door burst open to let Damon in. He had a slightly crazed look in his eyes and he stood there breathing hard. Elena pushed past him. "Get out Damon! Lani doesn't want you here!" He looked at me with sadness prominent on his faces. "Lani I..." "If you say you're sorry I'm going to scream!" He tried to walk closer but Elena stopped him.  
>"But I am Lani!" I stood up and walked over and stood behind Elena. "For what Damon?" His eyes searched my face for a way into my soul but I wasn't going to give him the answers he so desperately wanted. I needed to hear his own answer.<br>"Lani, I'm sorry that I was biten, I'm sorry I was so careless, I'm sorry that you have to lose someone else important in your life, I'm sorry that I won't be able to protect you, I'm sorry that I am the cause of so much pain in your life and most importantly I am sorry that I fell for you!" He stared straight into my eyes and I almost collapsed. I felt everything he felt and saw it all the way he did. "Damon you do not cause me pain because you mean too. I mean sure you were careless but that does not make it your fault. And never, ever be sorry that you fell for me cause I fell for you too!" He looked at me and I smiled. Elena was still standing between us and as if she could read my mind she started to move.  
>"I'll give you two a minute." She said leaving the room. As soon as she was gone Damon pulled me close. "We will find a way through this Lan!" he said and he almost sounded confident.<br>"I know we will!" I smiled at him and he leaned down and kissed me.

A few hours later we were sitting in Damon's room. He looked exhausted and almost asleep on the bed. "Does it hurt much Damon?" It was a question that had been bugging me for a while. "Yeah, yeah it does Lan." He replied quietly. He layed back and closed his eyes. I went and layed next to him snuggling in close. It was so wrong to need to be comforted by him, afterall he must be going through hell. He never said anything though, he just hugged me and that was all either of us needed.

A little while later there was a light knock on the door. "Lani, Damon may I come in?" It was Elena. I didnt want her to see us like this so I started to pull away, but Damon grabbed me and pulled me down. "Pretend you're asleep." He murmured almost inaudably. Just as I layed down properly the door creaked open. My eyes were shut and I prayed it looked as though I was sleeping.  
>"Is she asleep?" asked Elena. What was going on, shouldn't Damon be pretending to be asleep too?<br>"Yes." He replied in a shallow voice.  
>"Oh, I'm sorry to have bothered you." "It's no bother Elena, what did you want to say? I'll be sure to tell Lani."<br>"Well it's about your bite." Elena explained.  
>"What about it?" "I think I know of a cure." I almost flew my eyes open, but there had to be a reason Damon wanted me asleep.<br>"You do?" Nothing could have masked the excitemenet in his voice.  
>"There is a herb known as Wolfsbane." She began, but Stefan walked in.<br>"Elena don't!" Stefan said. What was going on?  
>"Stefan I think you should explain!" Damon told him, he didnt bother to ask.<br>"Wolfsbane will work,"  
>"Then why?" "Listen!" Stefan said. "But a sacrifice has to be made." he finished and started pacing.<br>"What kind of sacrifice?" Damon asked, but no one answered him. "What sacrifice god damn it?" I could feel him tense around me. What was going on that I didn't understand? I decided to ask Damon mentally. "What sacrifice Damon?" No reply. "Damon what is it?" There was something I didn't know and I needed to. I pretended that I was waking up. I rolled over and stretched out. Everything went silent as if everyone had stopped moving. I rolled back over and looked at them. Elena had a look of horror on her face and Stefan and Damon both had there unemotional vampire faces on. I pretended I hadn't heard anything. "What's going on guys?" My voice had just the right amount of curiosity in it because I truly wanted to know what was going on, but no one answered me. I looked at them one by one. Stefan and Elena were looking at Damon and Damon was looking at me, pain clear in his eyes. I turned back to Stefan and Elena. "Could you give us a minute?" I asked. Neither of them had caught on that I knew. Damon sighed and nodded slightly beside me and then Stefan escorted Elena out. 


	11. Chapter 11, Dinners On Me

As soon as Stefan was out of hearing range I turned on Damon. "Who and why?" I asked furiously. He changed the subject.  
>"Do you remember when we first met?" He asked, looking anywhere but my face. "Yes but what has that got to do with it?"<br>"It's got everything to do with it!" He yelled. "Where were you coming from?" He was still yelling pain causing his voice to break. "My house, my parents had just died." I wasn't following where he was taking this.  
>"Do you remember their names?" He had calmed himself and wasn't yelling anymore.<br>"Of course, Sarah-May Gibson and Jonathon Gibson why?" What did my parents have to do with this?  
>"Your father, he adopted you yes?"<br>"Yes."  
>"And your birth parents their last name was?"<br>"I dont know." I admitted. He had never asked these kinds of questions before. "Yes, but I do. You see your parents were vampires, the only known vampires to have a human baby. Any baby for that matter!" Was he crazy? Vampires can't have children. "Your father spent his entire life running from Klaus and Elijah, but they caught up with him in his old age. They killed him without a backward glance but you, you stopped Klaus. There was something about you that screamed vampire to him. But you see Klaus doesn't turn people. He forbade any original from turning as they would have extra power..." His voice broke and he couldn't go on. "But what do my parents have to do with this?" I still didn't get how they fitted into it.  
>"You already had the power of life from your birth parents, but Klaus he gave you the power of death too!" He was getting angry again. "You have the ability to heal me if you push wolfsbane into my bite and then your blood. But you see in doing that you lose the power of life and you are only left with..." He broke off.<br>"Death." I whispered.

So there were two options, live and watch Damon die or die and let Damon live. I knew that within a heartbeat I would save Damon, the problem would be him letting me. He would rather die a thousand deaths then let me die. How could I get around his stubborness? I was back in my own room alone. I didn't want to be alone but I didnt want to talk to Stefan becasue he would tell me to let Damon die and I didn't want to be near Damon because I can't stand to see him in so much pain. Why does everything happen to me? Ever since I was little all the bad things in life seemed to happen to me. I decided to go to the Grill and get out of this house of horrors. I was hungry anyway and I didn't feel like a bloodbag. I wanted to scare the hell out of someone. It's wrong I know, but I needed to know someone was more scared than I was. I walked out of my bedroom in my black skinny jeans and leather jacket. Before I had even taken two steps Damon was in front of me. "Going somewhere?" He asked. A smirk on his mouth, but his eyes were distant and he looked tired, very tired. "The Grill." I said and attempted to walk past him. He stopped me. "Dressed like that?" "Yep." I tried to push past him again but he grabbed me. "Why are you mad Lani?" His voice hollow, like he'd used all his energy with his attempt at normality. "I'm not mad Damon, I'm on the verge of a breakdown and it kinda turns me into a bitch." I shrugged him off and started walking again.  
>"Are you going to feed Lani?" Damn it! Please don't say you want to come.<br>"Maybe." I shrugged my shoulders to make it more convincing. "Can I come?" God damn you Damon, I want to be away from you. "You can hunt by yourself Damon, you dont need a babysitter."  
>"But I do Lani, you've seen what I'm like lately." He looked away. He was doing this on purpose. "Stefan will take you." "No he won't and you know it!"<br>"Fine whatever! But I won't talk to you!"  
>"Yeah you will." He said shrugging into his leather jacket. We would almost look the same, if his face had not been so stricken with pain. "Dont count on it." I whispered walking past him into the night sky. I just stood there for a moment and took a deep breath. It was cold and refreshing and it pulled me out of my bitchy state. I could sense him standing behind me, but that was the only indication that he was there. Finally I asked. "So where to?" and smiled at him. He relaxed and little and smiled back. "I knew you'd talk to me!" He said his smile turning into a grimace. "What is it?" "The bite, it's getting bigger!" He managed to gasp out. I pulled him into his room and helped him lay on to the bed. "I'm hungry." He complained quietly.<br>"I'll go make some friends" I made my fingers make quotation marks around the word friends. "And bring them here for us." I smiled at him and left. Why did he always have to be so brave and stupid? He is in so much pain, but he still tries to go places with me. He annoys me so much! How could I love him too though?

I didn't realise how far I'd walked, soon I was standing in front of the Grill. There was a group of guys standing out the front. They were easy prey. I snuck behind a tree and pulled off the top I had on underneath my jacket. I zipped the jacket up leaving the top of my bra showing. Influencing them would be to easy and I wanted to flirt with them, it was fun. I ditched my top and walked over to them. I loved the way their eyes bulged when they saw me. I walked up to one holding a beer. I had to admit he was kinda cute. "Can I have one?" I asked looking down shyly. He smiled. "Are you old enough?" He asked still smiling.  
>"Well of course I am." I said drawing out my southern accent. He didn't argue anymore, instead he handed me the beer he was drinking. "Here we can share." He said with a wink. I took a sip, being lady-like. When in truth I could out-drink these losers any day of the week. I passed him back his drink and went to stand beside him rather than in the middle of the circle. He put his arm around my shoulders and I pretended it didn't bother me. The guy across from me was looking at me and I winked, he smiled in response. He was the first to talk to me properly. "So what's your name?" He called from across the circle. The others stopped talking to listen to us. "My name is Lani Salvatore." I said quietly pretending to be shy.<br>"That's a pretty name." He said.  
>"For a pretty girl." The guy with his arm around me added.<br>And who are you guys?" I asked. Names were trivial, but I needed them to follow me. There were nine boys and the one beside me answered my question.

"My names Dan. The one you were talking to before is Ryan, and the others are Justin, Jake, Luke, Matt, Jason, Sam and that one is Tommy." He pointed them out as he said their names and they either waved or winked at me.  
>"So guys, I'm having this sort of party slash get together thing at my house soon and I wondered if you would like to come?" They all looked around at each other and nodded. "Yay!" I said with fake enthusiasm, I was getting bored. I turned to Dan. "Will you give me a lift? I walked here." "Sure!" I didn't miss the smile he flashed to one of the other boys. Geez guys were so easy. We walked back to his car and he came around to open the door for me. "There's something I should tell you." He said smiling at me.<br>"Oh, whats that?" He leaned towards me.  
>"Your jacket's unzipped." I looked down just as he started to unzip my jacket. I pulled his ear to my mouth. "Wait till after the party." I breathed. He smiled and leaned back.<br>"No promises there!" He said with a laugh. I laughed too, out of kindness. "So I'm guessing the Salvatore Boarding House right?" "Yes that's right." I smiled. 


	12. Chapter 12, I Don't Remember Inviting Yo

We drove in silence, listening to the radio. As we pulled up I noticed the others were following behind. When they had all gotten out and followed me to the front door I turned around. "You are not afraid." I started to influence them, it was easier to control all of them then I had expected. "You will not leave this house untill I say you can! And you will not mind if Damon or I bite you! Do you understand?" They nodded in unison. "Good." I smiled and openned the door. "Come on in, the party's on the second floor." I directed them into Damons room and heard them gasp, but they did not turn away. They were shocked but not afraid, I had cured them of that. I left them standing by the door and sat down next to Damon. His eyes were closed and his face was pinched with pain. "Dan come here." I called, my back facing towards them. I heard soft foot falls crossing the room and then a hand on my shoulder. "Are you going to bite me Lani?" He sounded sure that it was the right thing to do and I was glad.  
>"Yes, but first, would you let Damon?' "Of course!" He smiled at me and then it faltered. "But how?" "Here, I'll show you!" I smiled at him encouragingly and held out my hand. He took it quickly. "Damon be gentle and don't kill him,ok?" I sent telepathically. "Ok Lan." He sounded weak.<br>"Dan just roll up your sleeve a bit." I said it in a tone of sympathy. I knew it was going to hurt him and he didn't. He obliged willingly. I pulled his wrist across Damon's mouth and watched the look of pain cross his face when Damon bit. He never cried out or tried to pull back, he just stood there staring at me. After about a minute Damon let him go, he staggered back a few steps and collapsed into a chair. He fell asleep almost instantly. "I compelled him to sleep." Damon murmured. His face had a little more colour to it but he was obviously still in pain. I turned and looked at the other boys who were just walking around talking to each other. "Justin?" One of them snapped their heads towards me.  
>"Yes Lani?" He smiled.<br>"Would you mind?" I asked, they all had a choice but I knew they would all say yes anyway.  
>"Of course Lani!" He walked over and placed his hand over Damons mouth the same way Dan had. And again after a minute or so Damon dropped the boys arm. Damon sat up quietly but I could see it took alot of effort. I decided to give him a little of my blood. I bit my wrist and pushed it towards his mouth. He tried to push it away but I was much stronger. It felt nice being able to help Damon in some way. I tried to pull some of his pain into me but he pushed my attempts to the side. "No Lani you can't! I won't let you!" His mental voice had much more life in it.<br>"Won't let me what? Help?" I was trying so hard to weasel my way into his mind and steal some of his pain away, but he put a steel box around himself. He let go of my wrist and pulled me into his chest. "I don't want you to hurt this way Lani. Its terrible, but I would rather go through this a thousand times, than let you feel this pain." I could feel the tears trying to evade my eyes, but I would not let them. Not while all these people were here. I quickly gathered all their minds. "There is alcohol in the lounge room and a stereo, go and use them as you wish. If Stefan asks you what's going just tell him I said it was OK. But when you hear me call for you come at once. Understand?" They all nodded and disappeared out the door. Even Dan woke up and left. I got up and closed the door. I stayed with my back facing Damon. How could I look in his eyes and feel his warm arms around me and be happy, when all the while he is in gut wrenching pain and at any second could be stolen away from me forever? How could any person do this? "Because it makes me happy." Damon said, winding his arms around me. I must of been projecting to him. I turned to look into his eyes and felt the tears I had been fighting with finally spill over.

"Lani it will be ok you know!" Damon said some time later. We were lying on his bed together quietly. I couldn't answer him. I knew he was lying to make me feel better, but it gave me no comfort. I was hungry and I didn't ever want to have this conversationn with him, it was too hard to even think about it, so I called out telepathically to the boys downstairs. They had been laughing and joking around like most drunk guys do. They automatically came upstairs and into the bedroom one after the other untill they were standing around the bed Damon and I were on. "Dan and Justin you go have another drink, the others will be down shortly." They nodded and left. I couldn't be bothered calling them by their names so I stood up and walked over too one of them. He stood perfectly still, even when I bit into his neck, he stayed in the same spot. I kept drinking until I felt him start to wobble under me. I compelled him to go downstairs and have a sleep on the couch. I was full after the one feed so I pulled one of the other guys back to Damon, who was laying like a god on the bed. I couldn't help but laugh at him. He gave me his usual wicked smile. He started to drink straight away, he seemed to be always thirsty at the moment. He fed off the remaining boys and then I sent them home, giving Dan a quick kiss when he left. As far as they could remember they had gotten drunk at the Grill and driven themselves home. I climbed the stairs back up to Damon slowly, thinking before taking each step. I wanted with all my heart to save him, but I didn't want him to deal with any more pain then he was now and as he'd already pointed out losing me would be unbareable. I got to the top step and took off down them again when I heard a faint knock on the door. I wonder who it could be, Elena was already here with Stefan? I was still pondering while I pulled open the door and gasped. "Klaus!"  
>"You're right to be afriad of me young one, but on this occasion it is not necessary." He smiled.<br>"What do you mean?" Everything he said contradicted itself. "I have come to help the eldest Salvatore boy! The one you are so caught up in."  
>"You can't save him! Only I can!" "Aaaah, so you found out about your parents. Sorry about that, but it was necessary." I shrugged, I had gotten over it pretty quickly so there was no need to make a big deal out of it, plus I wanted to know more about Damon. "How can you help Damon?" I eyed him carefully to see any trace of a lie.<br>"Well as dear Elena has probably told you I am a hybrid. Meaning I am part werewolf and part vampire." Elena had mentioned something about him using her in his creepy spell ritual thing, crazy dude.  
>"Yeah what of it?" I asked. Why couldn't he just spit it out?<br>"Well my blood cures a bite. Now let me in please?" He walked in without letting me answer. Since Zach was dead he didnt need to be invited in.  
>"Why? Why do you want to help?" He paused on the stairs and turned to look at me.<br>"Because of you sweet Lani. If you were to die saving him, as I have no doubt you would do, then you would not be able to fulfill your purpose in life." He turned back again and started up the stairs. My purpose in life, what was that suppose to mean? Why was he always so vague in his answers. "Klaus wait! What purpose in life?" "Aaah so I see Damon forgot to mention one part of your life story." He smiled at me. What was going on?  
>"What do you mean?" "Well with your life and death super power thing comes real power. As you have already found out you can project your thoughts to other vampires and when you are in distress all of your thoughts are projected. But there are many other powers you are yet to uncover. As in you can kill anything if you get angry enough at it, but you can also bring it back to life. But as for your purpose in life, you are yet to recieve that power, and when it comes I am sure you will understand. This is why that man tried to kill you earlier this year, and had Damon not saved you I would have had a lot of killing to do to make up for your death." He smiled again and went on up to Damon. I was left standing there dumbfounded. I was to recieve powers? What does that mean? I heard Damon yelling at Klaus to get away from him but it was cut off half way through with a gurgle. I raced up the stairs to see what was wrong to find no one in the room apart from Damon. "Where did Klaus go?" Damon shrugged. Wait! There was blood around his mouth but he did not look to be in pain. I raced over to him. "Damon are you...?" "Better? Yes!" He stood up and walked around. "Oh my god Lani, I'm better!" He ran over to me and hugged me tight. I started crying with joy. He spun me around in circles. "Lani I'm ok!" "I know, it's amazing!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Tears were streaming down my face and I was laughing and spinning around with him. Nothing could take away the joy I felt at the moment. I was beyond estatic, I was amazed and excited! I could see through his eyes Damon felt exactly the same way. Stefan and Elena burst through the door to sight they never thought they would see. "What's going on?" Stefan asked he was bewildered by what he was seeing and Elena looked no different.<br>"I'm ok Stefan!" Damon yelled, spinning me around again. "What do you mean ok?" Elena asked.  
>"He was saved! He isn't going to die!" I exclaimed. I kissed Damon. Just a quck peck but my emotions all flooded through to him in that tiny instant. "I love you Lani!" He smiled at me.<br>"I love you too Damon, more than you could ever know!" He hugged me tight and turned to look at the Stefan and Elena who were still standing by the door.  
>"What, no hug?" He asked with a smile. Elena ran into his arms and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Stefan was slower to come forward almost as if he didn't believe Damon really had been cured. When he fnally made it to Damon they a very manly like hug but held it for longer than most would. "I say we celebrate!" Damon said.<br>"What do you have in mind?" I asked. I felt like I would go anywhere with him right now, just to see him smiling and walking around was enough to satisfy me for years.  
>"How about the Grill?" He said cocking his head to the side. "We could invite Caroline and Bonnie?" I offered with a shrug.<br>"Sounds like a good idea!" Elena said. "Me and Stefan will go to my house and get changed and I'll call Bonnie and Caroline on the way. How about we meet at the grill at about 9:30?" Wow! It hadn't been very long since I was at the Grill before, I could of sworn it was at least midnight. "Sounds good!" Damon said with a smile, "We'll see you then." With that Stefan and Elena left. Stefan turned around every five or so seconds to make sure his brother was still standing there. 


	13. Chapter 13, Remind Me To Pass Out Ar

"Lani, come here?" I had gone to lay on the bed while he cleaned up a little and got changed. I was already changed into my favourite white dress and tights.  
>"Why?" I asked, groaning while I got off his bed. I walked into the bathroom as Damon was just doing up the last of his buttons. He walked over to me, looking straight into my eyes. "Can I kiss you Lani?" He whispered brushing my hair from the side of my face. I crumbled under his gaze.<br>"Of cccourse!" I managed to stumble out, it was cut off by his lips crushing down onto mine. The urgency behind the kiss was evidence that he obviously never intended to ever be able to feel such closeness with me ever again. He broke the kiss off and smiled down at me. "I missed that." He said with a smile.  
>"Me too!" I confided. I was so glad to have him back, I never thought it would be possible to save him without living to see the outcome, and I wouldn't miss this for the world. He leant down and kissed the top of my head, smelling my hair. "We should go." He whispered, but he made no attempt to move. I hugged him tight and had the feeling that I never wanted to let go. Knowing only less than an hour ago that I was going to lose him forever had really shaken me up, but having him back in my life forever there was no way I was ever going to take our time together for granted again. I sighed and squirmed out of the hug. "We really should go, even with your maniac driving we're still going to be late." He laughed at me and smiled.<br>"Yeah, I guess I do drive like a maniac." He said with a smile. I grabbed his hand and we walked out to his car. I saw his face light up when we reached the car, obviously he never anticipated on driving this again either. "You look almost happier to be able to drive your car again then to be with me." I teased. He stopped abruptly and turned to face me.  
>"Never Lani!" He smiled at me and the power of his words overwhelmed me. I stood there for a moment just feeling the amazing happiness that his words had given me. "Come on Lan! Your the one who said we were going to be late!" He complained from the front seat. I still made no attempt to move. "I'll come and get you!" He warned. That snapped me out of it, because Damon "coming to get you" usually meant something really embarrassing on my part. I quickly slid into the passengers seat and his hand grabbed mine. He played with my fingers untill we reached the Grill. "Can I hold your hand in there Lani?" Why does he still need to ask these questions? Can't he tell I am totally devoted to him?<br>"Of course!" I said a huge grin spreading across my face. He smiled back and came to open my door for me. "Being quite the gentlemen today aren't we?" "Why of course!" He said it as if it were a stupid question and I laughed at him. "So who's already in there?" I asked. I didn't really want to walk in on a huge crowd. Just because I'm a vampire doesn't mean I like to be the centre of attention. Damon heard the doubt in my voice and answered quickly. "Only Bonnie and Stefan and Elena are there, Caroline's running a bit late and she's bringing Matt." I relaxed, I was used to being around these people so it wouldn't be a big drama. I knew there was going to be a big celebration and I knew Damon wouldnt let me leave his side. So, I was going to be right there when everyone yelled and hugged and jumped up and down. Not something I was looking forward too. "It doesn't have to be like that Lan." "Was I projecting? Cause I'm trying really hard now not too!"  
>"No, you weren't projecting, I just know your face and when your thinking about a crowd of people you get all these frown lines on your forehead. I mean you could put St. Stefan to shame." He teased me and I relaxed again. Since Klaus's taunt about my powers I had been trying hard to reign it in. "So you were saying it doesnt have to be like that, how?"<br>"Well we could always just skip the Grill?" "It doesn't matter if we skip it today, they are still going to jump and scream the next time they see you, and seen as we're never apart...?"  
>"Hmmm, well that does seem like a problem." He stopped walking and had a weird thinking look on his face. I couldn't help but laugh at him. "What?" He moaned.<br>"Oh come on! You can't tell me you didn't just pull that face on purpose." He gave me a wicked smile.  
>"You'll pay for that later!" He said winking at me. Oh shit! Damon always came through on these kind of threats, I was in for it. "Now hurry up, Stefan knows we're out here." He tugged on my hand and I sighed walking into the Grill. I heard Bonnie shriek and start jumping up and down. "Told you!" I muttered and Damon laughed. "It's not my fault I'm so loved!" He teased.<br>"Oh ha ha, very funny Damon." I let go of his hand and headed towards the bar. When the bartender asked for I.D I compelled him to give me the drink for free. I didn't have my drivers licence yet and my school card still said I was 17, he was hardly going to sell me the stuff. I downed two shots of vodka and ordered a bourbon. Tonight I planned on getting totally wasted with the guy who had unbelievably been saved from his death bed.

I was on my seventh glass of bourbon before Damon came over, you could say I was slightly tipsy. "Woah tiger! Don't you think you should ease up a bit? We've only been here 10 minutes and you're already drunk!" "No, I dont think I should ease up. I plan on getting totally wasted. Care to join?" I gave him a wink. My best try at flirting, but it was hard. When your drunk all your thoughts get a bit muddled up. "I could!" He said. "But then who would look after you?" "I can look after myself!" I got up from my bar stool and fell almost straight away. Damon caught me before anyone had noticed I was falling. He lifted me up into his arms bridal style and started to walk out. "Put me down!" I shrieked at him but he just smiled. He stopped next to the table Elena, Stefan, Bonnie and Caroline, who had shown up alone, were sitting at.  
>"I've got to take her home!" He said quietly.<br>"No you dont I'm fine" I said tartly. They all looked at me like I was crazy. "Fine, I'll go home!" I said. Damon started walking again and I started to feel quite tired. "Are you doing this?" I asked Damon with a yawn.  
>"Just sleep Lani, I'll be right next to you when you wake up." The last thing I remember was him opening the door to leave the Grill.<p>

I rollled over and stretched out, found his warm body and snuggled in closer. He kissed the top of my head and whispered good morning to me. "Good morning." I whispered back. I opened my eyes and noticed we weren't in his room or mine. I sat up looking around. "Where are we?" My head had a slight throb and the edges of my vision were a bit blurry, guess I was in for a bit of a hang over. "We are in L.A!" He said yawning. "L.A? But you must have driven all night?" He sure as hell looked like he had.  
>"I did. Now come here so we can go back to sleep!" He pulled me onto his chest and closed his eyes. I didn't sleep, instead I listened to the slow, steady sound of his breathing. It was just more proof that he was actually better and that he wasn't going to be taken from me at any second. I smiled and snuggled closer into him. It was nice to be this close to him again without feeling such immense sadness. I really could get used to this.<p>

I ended up falling asleep, even though I had planned on staying awake. I woke to the sound of a phone ringing. Damon was still asleep, so I quietly took the phone out onto the balcony of the hotel room we were in. "Hello?" "Lani?"  
>"Yeah, what do you want Stefan?" "It's nice to talk to you too Lani!"<br>"Sorry. But really, what do you want I was trying to sleep."  
>"Oh, sorry for waking you up. Is Damon there?"<br>"Yeah but he's asleep. What do you need him for?"  
>"I don't suppose you know where you are do you?"<br>"Not really. We're somewhere in L.A. Any ideas?"  
>"Your probably at the hotel Monta Leon. Its the only place Damon stays in L.A." Stefan sounded worried.<br>"Stefan what is it?"  
>"Lani, is he really ok?" "He is absolutely fine Stefan there is nothing to worry about."<br>"It's just, it was all so sudden and I never really got to talk to him properly before he had to take you home and then when I got home nobody was there." He sighed.  
>"He's going to be fine Stefan. He's back to his normal arrogant self." "I heard that!" Damon called from inside.<br>"Shit! Damon's awake. Gotta go Stefan, love you bye." I hung up before Stefan could answer. I went back into the hotel room and laughed when I saw Damon lying there with a pillow over his head. "Did you just tell Stefan you love him?" He mumbled from under the pillow. I laughed again.  
>"Why feeling jealous Damon? Scared that I'll swap brothers?" He growled from under the pillow and was gone in an instant. I felt his arms wind around me and I relaxed into his grip. "I know you wouldn't do that Lani." He whispered into my ear. One of his hands had moved to slide up and down my back. I shivered involuntarily.<br>"And why's that?" I whispered back.  
>"Cause he can't do this." He kissed my neck and I basically melted into him. I turned around for a quick kiss and then bolted into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. "Really Lani?" I heard Damon complain. Luckily he had already put all my stuff in the bathroom for some unknown reason. When did he pack all my clothes? Hmmm, he must have like a spare bag full of stuff in his car. I suggested to myself. I found a bikini in there and put it and a short dress on. I pulled my hair up into a messy pony tail and walked out of the bathroom. I couldn't see Damon anywhere. "Damon?" I called out to no answer. It was then that I saw the note on the table. It had Lani written in beautiful handwriting on the front. I smiled openning it up and read it out loud. "Dearest Lani, I have a little game for you. By now you are probably in your bikini so I want you to come find me down at the beach. There will be little clues along the way leading to a very special place I have first clue is in the hotel receptionists desk. Be quick I can't wait all day! I love you with all my heart, Damon" Well thats different. I re-read the letter and then raced off down to the recptionists desk. I rang the bell for service and the lady can out with a letter. "Master Salvatore said that you would be down soon and to give you this when you came past." She said handing me the letter and a red rose she had on the counter. "You are one lucky lady miss."<br>"I know, thank you." I smiled at her and opened the letter.

Too slow Lani you must hurry it up. I am getting lonely waiting here for you. Walk towards the beach and you will find my next clue. "Which way is the beach Madam?" I asked the receptionist. She pointed right. "That way dear and you best hurry, Master Salvatore told me to rush you as much as I could."  
>"Thank you." I raced off at a human running speed towards the beach, it was then that I saw the beautiful red flower petals making a path. What could he be up too? The petals turned off down a side street and as soon as I stepped down it I saw the beach. I raced down the street and saw him sitting there at a table on a secluded part of the beach. He was god like. He looked up at me and frowned. "What took you so long?" I totally ignored his question.<br>"How long have you had this set up?" "Long enough to seem like forever." He said with a smirk.  
>"No really Damon." "I rang while we were driving and they set it up for me. Now are you going to join me for breakfast or is this all just a waste?" My stomach grumbled and he laughed. "I'll take that as a yes, humans are always so hungry." "I'm not human." I reminded him while taking my seat. "I suppose your right." He smiled, while I looked around the table again. There was every breakfast imaginable laid out neatly across it. "What, no blood?" I asked with a smirk.<br>"No, now hurry up cause we have places to go and people to see, or meet in your case." I smiled and started eating a crossant. It was lovely to be back to normal. 


	14. Chapter 14, Miss Bridget

I had literally only just taken my last bite of my food before Damon had gotten up and started helping me out of my chair. "Can't we stay and swim for a while?" He gave me a puzzled look. "I told you, we have places to go..."  
>"And people to see." I finished. He smiled and nodded.<br>"Not as dumb as you look Lani!" He smirked.  
>"Oh ha ha, great one! Don't we have somewhere to be?" He laughed and took my hand. We headed back towards the hotel, I guessed to grab his car, but we walked straight passed it. "Do I at least get a hint as to where we are going?" I questioned after we had been walking a while. I had tried my hardest not to ask, but the curiosity was eating at me. "Ten minutes, I think that's a Lani record!" He smirked. "Seriously, tell me!" He laughed at me and I was once again reminded that it was a sound that I believed I would only ever hear again in my dreams. I smiled just out of pure happiness.<br>"Ok you can have a tiny hint."  
>"What?" "We're here!" Just as he said it we turned down a long, winding driveway that lead the way to an amazing two storey mansion. "Wow!" Was all I managed to say. How did he always know people who lived in houses like these? Or own them for that matter? It just wasn't possible, was it? By the time I had finished quizing myself on Damon's good fortune, we had made our way up to the front steps of the house. We were greeted by a man who obviously knew Damon. "Aaah Master Salvatore, how do you do? And accompanied by a lady today, well isn't that a surprise?" "Alfred, always a pleasure. This is Miss Lani Gibson." He gestured to me and I smiled. It was strange to hear him using my parents name, I had gotten so used to Lani Salvatore that I almost forgot it wasn't my real last name. But then again, to see the way Damon and I were together, it would be weird for us to have the same last name unless we were married, and I didnt like the idea of that. "Miss Gibson." He nodded. "And what brings you and your lovely lady here today Master Salvatore?" "We have come to see Miss Bridget." The name did not sound familiar to me, but then again Damon did say I was to meet whoever we were going to see.<br>"Of course, come in and I shall go and fetch her from the gardens." "No need Alfred, we can make our way out there. I had wanted to show Lani the gardens anyway." "Very well. It was a pleasure to see you Master Salvatore."  
>"And you Alfred." I waited untill we had walked a little while before I spoke.<br>"So... Whose Bridget?" I asked innocently.  
>"She is an old friend and vampire." Damon replied, I looped my arm through his. The scene before me made me think of when Damon and I were younger and used to stroll through the parks.<p>**FLASHBACK**<p>

I pulled my arm out of his and ran forward a little, being careful to only use my human speed. "Catch me if you can!" I giggled running a litle further ahead. Damon laughed and ran after me. We often played this game, him and I, and he almost always won. He seemed to be able to just know which way I was going to turn.  
>"Again Miss Lani, but we always play this game?" I giggled again and ran forward a little more before hiding behind a tree. "Yes but you see Master Salvatore today I will win!" "Oh you think so?" He said while grabbing me around my waist from behind. "Got you again." He laughed. "Damn, and I really thought I would win today!" I pouted.<br>"Now, now Miss Lani don't be sad maybe you will win tomorrow?" I smiled. Aaah Damon, always the gentleman. He spun me around so I was standing next to him again and I looped my arm back through his. A young lady was walking towards us and Damon stood a little straighter. They did not speak but I got the feeling they knew each other on many levels. "Damon, who was that?" He smiled down a me.  
>"It's nobody Miss Lani, let us finish our walk." If I had only been human I would have missed the quick dart back of his eyes. There was something he was not telling me about this woman. I decided to let it go, he would tell me if he wanted to. Damon and I had that kind of relationship.<p>

**PRESENT TIME**

"They were fun times, weren't they Lani?" Damon said. Damn projecting agian!  
>"Why don't we do it anymore?" I asked. We were still walking through the gardens. "Because times change Lani, here is the only place I know of where people still talk like ladies and gentlemen. That is why Alfred spoke like that to you." "It was kind of strange." I admitted.<br>"Word of warning, talk like that in front of Bridget or I will have hell to pay!" "Of course Master Salvatore." I replied, drawing out my southern accent. He smiled.  
>"Perfect." We walked for a little while longer before we came to an opening with a garden chair. It was occupied by a very small woman. "Miss Bridget?" Damon said. The woman got up and turned around. It was the same lady from so many years ago. I knew Damon had known who she was, I wonder why that hadn't spoken?<br>"Damon!" She squeeled.

It took her a few minutes to get over the squeeling, and to be honest I was getting bored. Anyone would of thought he was her long life lover. I must of been projecting because Damon let out a small chuckle. He pulled me into his side and whispered in my ear. "Dont be jealous babe, my heart is yours." I blushed and smiled. "Miss Bridget this Miss Lani Gibson. Miss Lani this is Miss Bridget Dawse." "How do you do?" She said and curtseed.  
>"Miss Dawse." I also curtseed. It felt nice to fall back into talking like the old southerners Damon and I were, my southern accent had long since been replaced by every foreign one we had to use and it felt nice to have back. It rolled almost perfectly off my tongue. She smiled.<br>"Aaah a southerner, good taste Master Salvatore." "Only the best for me, you know that Miss Bridget."  
>"Is that why you turned me down Salvatore?" "My hearts been taken a long while Miss Bridget." I smiled and blushed to the side. Even with my head down I didn't miss Bridgets scowl or the tone of jealousy when she spoke. "And a lucky girl she is." "Why are we here Damon?" I asked mentally. Even my mental voice had taken on a southern accent, that meant I was going to have to work on talking American again.<br>"All in good time Lani." Damon replied. I sighed internally, I wasn't sure how much time I could spend with Bridget. I could tell straight away that she didn't like me. "Miss Bridget, do you remember the necklace I gave you for safe keeping so many years ago?" "Why of course," She smiled as if remembering a better time. "That was just after Katerina had died wasn't it?" "She didnt really die Miss Bridget, but of course you knew that." Damon smiled playing along to her game. "But about the necklace, I would like it back if that is not to much trouble?" "But of course, take a walk with me Master Salvatore." He offered his arm to me, and took it without a second glance.  
>"We'd be delighted Miss Bridget." She scowled again but didn't say anything.<br>"Right this way." She lead us back through the gardens we had just come. When we reached Alfred at the front door she didnt even acknowledge him, but that was usual for people in the old days. Alfred was considered the help and nothing more. I had never been that way with my parents employees, but I had seen the way others had. When we entered her house I gasped. It was exactly the kind of place Damon used to take me to go to balls and things. I would give anything to live in a house like this. "We can if you want to Lani!" Damons mental voice interupted my thoughts. Must of been projecting. "I own a house like this in a town just out of Mystic Falls." "Really? And you would live there with me, just the two of us?" His mental voice laughed at my excitement.  
>"It would be my pleasure to live with you there Lani, but what would we do with poor Saint Sttefan he would be all alone?" I thought about it for a second while Bridget lead us up a flight of stairs and into a room that must of been hers.<br>"We'll send Elena to the boarding house!" I laughed internally and Damon echoed it. "Here it is Damon." Bridget said breaking our silent converstaion. She handed him a necklace with a gold pendant on it. It looked absolutely beautiful. The way she was holding casued the sunlight to sparkle on the gold , it was obvious she had kept it clean. Maybe as a reminder of Damon. Damon took it gingerly.  
>"Thank you Miss Bridget." He slipped the necklace into his pocket. "Well Miss Bridget we really must be going." Damon was cut off by my phone ringing. I blushed and took it out of my pocket. It was Elena. "Hello Elena." I spoke into the phone.<br>"Lani where are you?" "I dont know I'm out with Damon somewhere, why?" "Dont you know what the date is?" "No I don't, why?"  
>"Tonight's the prom!" She practically squeeled at me.<br>"Oh shit, sorry Elena."  
>"You're sorry? You promised Lani!" "I know I did Elena, I'll be there soon, like half an hour promise." As I said that Damon gave me a perplexed look, I knew exactly what he was thinking. How was I supposed to get back to Mystic Falls in half an hour, but I knew I could.<br>"Ok Lani, please be here."  
>"I will be Elena." I hung up the phone and turned back to the two in front of me. "How do you plan on getting back in time?" asked Damon.<br>"I have my ways, but we really must be going Miss Bridget."  
>"Of course Miss Lani, I'll show you out." I looped my arm back through Damons and we followed Bridget back through the winding house and out the front door. "My apologies for having to leave so abruptly Miss Bridget." I said as Damon kissed her hand goodbye. "That's quite alright Miss Lani, it was a pleasure to meet you. Damon always a pleasure seeing you." And with that we left walking down the long driveway. When we got to the end of it I stopped and turned to face him. "Take my hand and close your eyes" He obeyed quickly and quietly he must have remembered my abilities. I closed my eyes and thought hard of Elenas' house and started running in no direction in particular. When I opened my eyes we were standing on Elenas front door step. I tugged on Damons hand and he opened his eyes and smiled. I smiled back and turned towards the door, "Here we go!" I thought and rang the door bell. <p>


	15. Chapter 15, Prom

The squeeling started as soon as I rang the door bell. "She's here!" Elena was repeating at the top of her lungs. I thought about running away from the house and never looking back but I had promised Elena I would go with her and with Damon by my side it couldn't be that bad, could it? She pulled the door open, still squeeling and ran and hugged me. "Your here! and you're early." "Only for you Elena." This got her squeeling again, anyone would have thought this was her first prom. "Elena, why are you squeeling so much? You already went to one of these last year." "Yeah but you weren't here to help me last year, well not that I knew of anyway." "Ok. Well can we go inside then? I'm getting bored standing out here." "Of course." She squeeled again and then ushered me in, but as soon as Damon stepped in she turned serious. "What do you think you're doing?"  
>"Coming inside. Isn't it obvious?"<br>"You can't be here!" "And why not?" "Because, we'll be getting changed and roaming around in our underwear and there is no way you are here to see that!"  
>"Really Elena?" I asked she didn't seriously expect him to leave that easily did she?<br>"Really really Lani. Now tell him to leave before I kick him out."  
>"I'd like to see you try." Damon muttered under his breath and I giggled causing Elena to give me a ice cold stare.<br>"Now Lani!" and with that she stormed off upstairs.  
>"You should probably go." I whispered barely audible. "She's no fun to be around when she's angry." "If I must." He smiled. "Wouldn't want Elena to bite your head off so you wouldn't be able to accompany me to the prom."<br>"Maybe you should stay." I winked. He laughed.  
>"I'll see you soon Lani." He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek and then was gone.<p>I stomped my way upstairs to Elena's bedroom. "It's about time I thought you might have run off." She said with a smile. She had already stripped down to her underwear and was currently trying to curl her hair. "You're doing it all wrong." I murmured stripping down also.<br>"Well then why don't you do it?" She laughed. I walked over and took the curling iron. "For starters it's not hot enough yet." She laughed at me and I frowned. "What?" "I don't know!" She said bursting into laughter again this time I joined in. This was typical us, laughing at nothing in particular but not being able to stop once we had started. It took us well over five minutes before we were both calm enough to try and do anything constructive. "Is it warm enough yet Lan?" "Yep, now close your eyes." She obeyed silently. It was just like the time back in my bathroom, it took me just under five minutes to have her hair perfectly curled and put up and her makeup flawlessly put on. I giggled. "Ok open your eyes." She did and gasped almost instantaniously. "Lani it's...  
>"Gorgeous I know." We both giggled. "Give me two secs and I'll do mine and then we can get dressed." She stood up from her seat in the bathroom and I quickly sat down. I did my hair almost identically to Elena's but I had a more severe curl to mine and my makeup was in much darker shades. She smiled at my swiftness and then we went to get dressed. It was a good thing that I had asked Elena to keep a hold on our dresses otherwise I would of had to make a quick pit stop on the way home from Bridgets. I helped Elena into hers first and then she helped me into mine The deep black of my dress sent shivers down my spine the way it had when I first tried it on in Paris. Elena loked stunning in her dress, but then again she always did. "Well you ready?" I asked. She nodded slightly and smiled. I gave Damon a quick call and said we were ready to be picked up, he told me he wold just grab Stefan and they would be over in a few. I hung up and smiled, this was going to be a night to remember.<p>

The doorbell rang and we both made our way downstairs slowly. "Hurry up Lani!" Damon called.  
>"Im coming!" I openned the door and they were both standing there in black tux's. Elena gasped and I smiled warmly, they looked exactly like they had so many years ago when we used to attend these sorts of functions, only because there was nothing else to do not because we were being forced by a human."You both look beautiful." said Stefan. "Bit of an understatement." replied Damon. He offered me his arm and Stefan offered his to Elena. "We ready?" "Definitely Damon." Elena replied. When we walked past Damon's car I grew suspicious.<br>"No car?" I asked and he smiled in response. "Only the best for you Lani." And then out of nowhere a horse drawn carriage appeared. I gasped. It was my carriage, the one from the 1860's. I had loved that carriage to pieces and always went everywhere in it, but it had burnt along with the rest of my house. "How did you...?"  
>"I have my ways dear Lani." I smiled as he helped me in to the carriage and sighed as I sat in the poofy leather seats. They were the exact shade of red that mine had been. "How did you remember Damon?" "I remember everything sweet Lani." Elena and Stefan sat in the seat across from us and she had the hugest smile on her face. "Have you ever been in one of these Elena?" I asked, the smile still prominent on my face. "No, isn't it amazing?"<br>"Yes." I laughed. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of the horses feet on the road, it was such a rhythmic sound. I had forgotten how much I had loved riding in these carriages.

We arrived at the school all too soon for my liking. I could have stayed seated in the carriage forever, but Elena was bursting with excitement so I reluctantly rose from the chair and allowed Damon to help me down. "I can't believe you're making me do this Elena. It's been years since I've been to a dance like this."  
>"Oh come on, it'll be fun!" She smiled taking my hand. Damon offered me his arm and we walked in a group of four to the main entrance. It was beautiful inside. It looked so much like the olden days that for a second I almost thought I was back with Damon and Stefan at my side, but we couldn't be back because in my memories Caroline and Bonnie never came running over.<br>"Oh my god you look so beautiful!" Caroline squeeled at us. She hugged us softly, trying her hardest not to crease our dresses. "You look amazing." Bonnie said, and she too hugged us.  
>"Lani is a miracle worker." Elena announced proudly.<br>"Hardly, you're beautiful to start with." She smiled at this.  
>"Would you like to dance?" Damon whispered in my ear.<br>"Of course." I let go of Elena's hand and allowed Damon to drag me to the dance floor. There was hardly anyone dancing and everyone was staring at us. I guessed it was because of Damon, I mean people were always staring at him and plus he doesn't even go to this school.  
>"Yes Lani everyone is staring at you, but not because you're dancing with me."<br>"Then why?"  
>"I swear you are so dumb some times. You look beautiful tonight Lani. That is why everyone is staring. Nobody can believe how they could ever look beautiful with you here."<br>"You're full of shit!" "What don't you trust me Lani?" "Of course I trust you, I just dont believe you." "Take a look around Lani, they are all staring at you. I mean usually its me but nooo today its all about you." He put on a pretend sulky face and I couldn't help but laugh. "You are so cocky!" He laughed with me.  
>"But seriously Lani you look gorgeous tonight." I smiled and leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. He smiled and leaned down aain but was stopped by a loud bang. "What was that?" I asked darting everywhere.<br>"Outside now!" Damon spoke in a tone of authority. We hurried out the back and Stefan was already standing there with Elena looking around."What was it brother?" "I don't know, that's why I'm here." I listened hard, straining to hear a noise. Another loud bang, and I whirled around to see Klaus standing there smirking like usual. "What do you want?"Damon snarled.  
>"Didn't Lani tell you about our conversation?"<br>"What conversation?"  
>"Oh the one just before I saved your life. You should be a little more grateful you know." "What conversation Lani?" He turned to face me fuming.<br>"He just fed me some bullshit about getting some extra power and having some weird purpose to my life." Damon looked down. What did he know? "It's not bullshit Lani." He whispered. I don't know why everyone hear but Elena could hear him.  
>"What do you mean its not bullshit, I haven't recieved any extra powers." I whispered back. "Oh well isn't this romantic." Klaus sneered. "I hadn't realised you had gotten so close." "Just leave Klaus!" Damon snarled.<br>"Oh no, I think I'll stick around to hear you charm your way out of this one."  
>"Will someone plase tell me what's going on!" I demanded. "Damon what is it?" He looked at me and then looked away.<br>"Well..." 


	16. Chapter 16, You Again

"Well..."  
>"Well what Damon?" God damn it! Why does Damon always know something about my life that I don't? Nothing is ever a surprise for him!<br>"Well you remember I told you about your parents right? And how you were the first vampires offspring, but I also mentioned to you about the extra powers you would have. You know the life and death stuff?"  
>"Yeah I remember and if I saved you I would only be left with death."<br>"Yeah but it doesn't technically mean you would die."  
>"What do you mean, if your left with only death the only option is to die isn't it?" He shifted uncomfortably and Stefan started retreating with Elena. The only reason he ever did this was if I was going to have an outburst, which didn't happen often but I would let off signs if one was coming and it obviously was coming now. Klaus had a huge smirk on his face and was watching with pure glee at my familys turmoil. "Damon?" "Well taking away the power off life would leave you with just death but not the kind of death you're thinking of, sort of like a living dead. Kind of like how you are now?" He shifted uneasily again. I was beyond angry.<br>"So you mean to tell me I could have saved you ages ago and nothing would have happened? I watched you die and all along I could have saved you with no side affects? How dare you?" In two seconds I had him pinned against the wall. "How dare you Damon?" I heard a low chuckle coming from Klaus."What?" I snarled viciously.  
>"Still playing the hero Damon?"<br>"What do you mean?"  
>"I mean he would rather have you be angry at him then tell you the full story."<br>"What else is there to know?" "Well, what he says is true you would be left in a living dead state but not like you are now."  
>"Leave it Klaus." Damon snarled from under me.<br>"No! Tell me!"  
>"You would be eternally bound to me." He smiled at me.<br>"How?"  
>"Like you would do anything I said, kill anyone I want you too that sort of stuff." I turned to Damon.<br>"So you would rather die than see me bound to Klaus?"  
>"Of course Lani." I let him go and hugged him.<br>"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard and if you do it again I will kill you myself." He laughed at me and I smiled. I let him go and turned back to face Klaus.  
>"So what exactly did you hope to gain from this?"<br>"Well I hoped that you would of got a little more angry at him, but I guess his charm really does work in mysterious ways."  
>"Well it does help if you love him." Klaus pretended to throw up. "Very funny now can we return to the prom or are you gonna hold us captive out here?"<br>"Of course you can go." He moved from the doorway and was gone within a blink of the eye. I looped my arm through Damons. "Ready to go back inside?"  
>"Well I dont know about you but I could use a drink. Something a little stronger than punch." "Wanna go to the Grill?" Elena asked, speaking for the first time in a long time.<br>"Yeah sure!" I said. "As long as we can take the horse and carriage." "Why not. I booked it for the whole night." So it was settled we were all going to the Grill. We had to walk through the dance to get outside and as soon as I opened the door the smell of blood hit me powerfully. All you could see was red, it was covering the walls, yet noone was screaming and we had never heard any of it from outside. What was going on? Thats when I saw him. Klaus! What had he done?  
>"Maybe this will get you a little angrier Lani?" I ran at him. "What have you done?" "Now this is more like it." He said blocking each of my fatal strikes. I stopped, this is exactly what he wanted. I calmed myself.<br>"Why do you want me so angry?" I asked. He was taken back by how calm I was I could tell.  
>"Because he believes it will enduce your power more quickly if your angry." Damon replied suddenly standing next to me. "That's it isn't it? You're afraid that because of how she is she wil never recieve the powers you destined her to have. Because Lani is so gentle and sweet she could not become the monster you want her to be." "I suggest you shut your mouth before I shut it for you." Klaus snapped.<br>"That's it isn't it." I whispered. "You are so afraid that I will stay how I am?" "I will find a way to change you Lani! I promise you that." He started walking off but turned around. "Oh and dont worry there is no one really dead it was just a few blood bags and some sleeping pills in the punch." He smiled before walking off again.  
>"Wow." I said. "What a jerk." "Grill?" Damon said looping my arm through his.<br>"Grill!" I said. There was no way I was not getting totally wasted tonight.

We'd been home now for a few hours, Damon thought it would be a good idea to get me out of there after I had started dancing on the bar, me not so much. "Aw come on you gotta admit you would of loved to see me dance on the table." I said bumping shoulders with him.  
>"What are we in, third grade?" I folded my arms over and pouted. "Really Lani?"<br>"You're being mean!" I sulked.  
>"And you're drunk, but if it will stop you sulking. Yes Lani, I would have loved to have seen you dance on the bar." He said wrapping his arms around me. "Good!" I said and smirked. I lent up and kissed him and in an instant was gone out of his arms.<br>"Lani?" He called. I quickly jumped up onto the table.  
>"Yesms?" I asked as he slowly turned around.<br>"What are you...?" He started to ask but was cut off by the music I turned on. I started dancing, I wasn't very spectacular but hey at least I was having fun. "Get down Lani!" Damon said.  
>"Oh please, you sound like Saint Stefan. Where's the fun?" He smirked at me, I knew this would get him going. He jumped up on the table next to me. "It's only fun if your naked!" He said as he pulled of his shirt and started doing the macarena. I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing, which eventually led to me falling off the table. "Owww!" I said standing up and fixing my pj's. Damon was rolling around on the table laughing. "Oh yeah laugh it up. You're such a nice boyfriend."<br>"Who... Ever... Said I was... Your' boyfriend?" He said inbetween his laughing fits. I faked to cry. "Well then Mr. Salvatore, you can sleep by yourself tonight. Have fun!" I pretended to sob and ran off up to what was my bedroom, but since I had been bunking with Damon so often lately there wasn't much in there. I slammed the door shut for added affect and turned around to lay on my bed, but he was already laying there. I kept up the pretend crying. "Get out!" I sobbed. In a flash he was in front of me and wiping away my fake tears. "Oh come on Lani. You know I was joking. I love you." I smiled.  
>"Yeah so was I!" I said and skipped off down the stairs again. He was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. "How come you're so much faster than me? Its not fair." He didn't answer me. Instead he lifted me up into his arms and I giggled.<br>"And where do you think you're going?" He walked up to his bedroom door and slammed it behind us. Oh god I wish Stefan has gone hunting.

Turns out Stefan hadn't gone hunting. I winced remembering when I had gone to get a blood bag for Damon and I and he was sitting in the lounge room a huge smirk evident on his face. "Oh hey Lani!" he had said. God did I want to swipe that smile off his face, but what could I do it wasn't his fault, not really anyway. "Whats wrong Lan?" "Hmmm?" I looked towards him. "Oh nothing, I was just remembering my awkward conversation with Stefan before. I will make him pay for that!" I said determinedly. He gave a small chuckle and I snuggled into his chest. It was so nice to be so comfortable with someone. He was lying in his boxers, only because I had claimed his shirt, not that I think he minded. "So what do you think of the whole Klaus situation?" I asked quietly.  
>"I think he's a dick." Damon murmured.<br>"Yeah but do you think he'll really try and make me snap?" I pushed. I tried to sit up but his arms were like a unbreakable cage.  
>"Lani do you really want to ruin this perfect moment thinking about Klaus?" He asked. It was obvious he just wanted one normal night so I gave in, plus it would be nice to sleep in his arms without having something majorly wrong going on around us.<p>

Morning came before I could blink and I woke up alone in bed. There was a note lying next to me that saId he had gone to see Ric and he would be back by lunch time. I checked my phone, it was only 10:30, what was I suppose to do for three hours? I decided I would come up with a way to get Stefan back for mocking me, but what could I do? He probably expects all of my usual pranks, like putting a dead squirel in his room or something to do with his diet. I decided to ask Elena for some help. It was the day after the prom so I suspected she would be home and gave her a quick ring. "Hello?" She said breathlessly.  
>"Elena? What are you doing?"<br>"Oh Lani no, I was running on the treadmill!" She said quickly, obviously assuming I was thinking she as doing something else.  
>"Wanna come over? I need your help with something!" "Sure! I'll be there in twenty."<br>"Good. Hurry please, I don't know how long I can wait." She hung up and I sighed. I didn't know how long I could wait to get Stefan back. It was eating at me! 


	17. Chapter 17, Sweet Revenge

It took Elena nearly an hour to finally rock up and I was pissed. "What could have possibly taken so long?" I glared at her, after opening the door. "I'm sorry Stefan rang!" She smiled apologetically and I blushed. Stefan had better not of spilled about me locking him up or I'd have Damon kill him. "Oh yeah, and what did Saint Stefan want?" "What have I missed?" She asked closing the door behind us. "Nothing important, but you are going to help me get revenge!" I laughed evily and she gave me a look that questioned my sanity. I rolled my eyes making my way to the kitchen. "Thirsty Elena?" I called out. She was obviously making herself comfortable in the living room. "Nah, I'm good." I grabbed a water and joined Elena in the living room. "So got any bright ideas?" "Oh no! You didn't seriously think I'd help you, did you?" "Well I'd rather hoped, so then I wouldn't have to involve Damon!" I added the last bit on cause she knew as well as I did if Damon was involved it wasn't going to be pretty. "Well you could dress up as a giant bunny and be scared of him or something?" She said with a shrug. "A little bit of originality please Elena! This prank calls for desperate measures." I took a sip of my water. "I really worry about you sometimes Lani. Where is Stefan by the way?" "Oh I locked him in the basement!" I shrugged, settling into the chair comfortably, throwing the bottle on the couch to my left. "You did what?" She said, getting up and rushing downstairs. "What? He upset me!" I yelled after her, not that she cared much about the why. She came back up five minutes later, Stefan trailing a few steps behind. "Aw, what'd you go and let him out for? It was so much more fun thinking about him locked away down there." I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest. "Lani!" Elena scolded. "Elena!" Damon mimicked, walking in the door. I snickered at her and ran over to him. "You're early!" I smiled up at him and he kissed my cheek. "Couldn't stay away any longer." I blushed and heard Stefan making gagging noises. "Can it bunny killer or I'll lock you up again!" I said turning to glare at him. "You locked him up?" Damon questioned, wrapping his arms around my waist. "He upset me!" I pouted at Stefan. "Im very sorry that I upset you Lani, but it was very funny." "You should be! And so was locking you up. You didn't even see it coming!" I poked my tongue out at him. "Does this mean project revenge is over?" asked Elena. "For now." I allowed. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to have a drink at The Grill!" "Shouldn't you have a hangover from last night?" asked Damon. "Shouldn't we talk about what Klaus said?" asked Stefan. "For the hangover question, I don't get hangovers. And as for the Klaus thing, I don't plan on talking about it for a while!" "What do you mean Lani? We have to talk about it!" "Grshh I cant grshh hear you grshh Stefan you're breaking up grshh grshh!" I quickly ran from the room and out the door. I heard Damon laugh and Stefan ask if he was sure I was all there followed by another chuckle from Damon. Stefan was going the right way to be locked up again, he'd better look out.

I had been sitting quietly at the bar for not even five minutes before someone felt the urge to talk to me. That someone was Jeremy Gilbert. Why was it that all Gilbert children needed to be constantly talking to someone? "Lani, hey!" He said from a little way away. I pretended not to hear him, but he didn't take the hint. He just got closer and closer before he sat down beside me. "Ignoring people is not polite Lani!" I smiled innocently. "Me? Ignore people? Never!" "Very cute, but I have something important to ask!" "Oh yeah, whats that?" "Do these jeans make my butt look fat?" He said sadly, getting off the stool and turning around so I could see his bottom clearly. I burst out laughing and he pretended to cry. "I knew it!" He cried between fake sobs, which made me laugh even louder. He sobered up and sat down again a smile evident on his face. "I wish I had a time machine so I could relive that moment over and over again." I said playfully once I'd stopped laughing. "Well luckily for me that hasn't been invented yet!" I laughed again. "Luckily! Well I guess I've been antisocial enough for one day, I best be heading back to the boarding house." I said standing up and stretching. "I'll catch you later Gilbert." I hugged him goodbye and set off towards the door before I bumped into someone. I was about to apologize when I saw it was Klaus. "What are you doing here?" I hissed pulling him away from Jeremy. "Having a drink at my local bar." He said with a wink. "Care to join?" "Over my dead body." "Only a matter of time!" He laughed. I stormed off, now I really wanted to go home.  
>"Pleasant drink at the bar dear?" Damon asked as soon as I walked in the door. "Not particularly." I replied walking straight over to his alcohol stash. I poured a glass and skulled it, then poured a second and went and sat next to him. "Care to elaborate?" "Well for starters. Are all Gilbert kids incapable of silence? Or do they just try to annoy me? And secondly I bumped into my bestest friend Klaus on the way out. He hinted at his staying permanently in Mystic Falls! Would you call that pleasant?" He reached for me and pulled me closer, so we were lying together on the couch. "Its ok Lan, everything will work out!" he kissed the top of my head and I sighed feeling sleepy. "I know!" I managed to mumble out before waves of fatigue took over.<p>

I woke up to Damon laughing at the tv. "What could possibly be funny enough for you to wake me up?" I groaned rolling over. "Sorry Lan!" He turned the tv off and bent down and kissed my hair. "Hey what do you want to do today? I'm all yours!" "I thought you were already mine?" I asked rolling over so I could cuddle closer into him. "For the better part of seventy years Lani!" His voice hinted on something so serious that I couldn't choke out my quick come back about how old he was. "Anyway enough of the mushy stuff, what do you want to do? We could follow Stefan when he goes hunting and throw dead animals at him?" He laughed at his own joke. "Ew gross! I was thinking more along the lines of a date, you know like the movies or something? Rock Of Ages is out and I really want to see it!" "The movies really? Could you pick anything more human?" "Hey!" I defended myself. "I like to pretend sometimes you know! And plus we probably wouldn't even watch the movie, you'd be too distracting!" He laughed at me. "We are definitely going to the movies now!" I joined in his laughter. "Wow! You are so easy!" He growled playfully and pinned me underneath him. He kissed my neck and whispered in my ear. "Just say the word!" I laughed at him, which unfortunately made him stop. He looked me in the eyes making me laugh even harder. "What is so funny?" He asked annoyed, sitting up quickly. "Nothing!" I replied trying my hardest to keep a straight face. I honestly had no idea what I was laughing at but before long I couldnt hold it back any longer and I burst out into a fit of laughter rolling around on his bed. "My god Lani get a grip!" He said sighing and getting out of bed. He had white boxers on making me laugh twice as hard. "What is it this time?" He whined at me. "You have white boxers!" I gasped out. He looked down at them. "And?" He prompted. "You only ever wear black!" I had calmed down enough that I could talk normally. "You are by far the weirdest person I have ever met Lani Salvatore!" "Gibson." I politely corrected, being called weird didn't really bother me much. "Whatever!" I sighed and flopped back into his pillows. "Will you hop back in with me?" I asked. "I dont know, are you going to laugh anymore?" "Nah, I think I'm done." I waited quietly and finally he got back in. "Do you mind if we don't go out today? Instead we could just spend the day in bed?" "I told you I'm all yours, whatever you want to do we'll do!" I smiled and cuddled in close. God he smells amazing. "Lani?" "Mmm?" "Could you project something? Something about us?" I thought about it for a second and then started. I thought about anything and everything Damon and I had ever done together, the good and the bad. I even threw in a bit with Stefan just to take up time. It took about twenty minutes for me to tire but by that stage I was running out of things to project anyway. I closed my eyes and could sense my breathing starting to become slow and rhythmic, Damon must have noticed too. "Thank you sweet Lani, now sleep. I'll be here when you wake up!" And with that I drifted off to sleep.

It had been about a week since I'd seen Klaus at The Grill and I couldn't help but feel a little bit hopeful that he had decided to give up and leave but as usual I was bound to be wrong. I was currently sitting in history of my stupid, boring, high school. I would never understand why Stefan had wanted to the whole school thing anyway. Everyone in Mystic Falls, including the school, now knew me as Lani Gibson, Damons girlfriend (which didn't bother me much) which meant I wouldn't have to make up some lame ass excuse for why Stefans little sister was dating her older brother. It was times like these that I was glad Stefan and Damon had kept me hidden away, not that I'll ever understand why they did that either. And they think I'm weird. Aaah yes bells gone, cha ching school is over. I walked out the front doors to see the Elena/Katherine look alike talking to none other than Klaus. I smiled friendly at them and she glared but Klaus smiled back. "Aah hows my favorite not-so-angry girl?" "Quite fine thank you. But may I ask why you're talking to Anna and why she looks as though she is going to kill me?" "You may indeed Lani, but getting an answer may prove more difficult. You see Anna here has no wish to ever speak to you again after I so kindly told her that you were only friends with her to find out about her." "Well that was very nice of you. Saved me the trouble. Now if you will excuse me I have a very bored boyfriend waiting for me at home. Ill be seeing you!" I walked past them to Damons car, which I had pinched this morning before he had gotten up. He was going to be mega pissed and I laughed just imagining him stuck home all day. Not that losing his car would have stopped him had he really wanted to go out. As I pulled into the driveway I was thinking about Klaus and Anna. I wonder what he's up to with her? He can't genuinely like her because he doesn't allow himself to get that close to anyone. Maybe he did it to get me angry? Yeah I'm sure that's it, that's all hes been trying to do lately. "Anyone home?" I called as I walked into the lounge room. No answer. Hmm that's funny I could of sworn Damon was home. Maybe he's trying to scare me? "Its not going to work Damon!" I began searching through the house. I could hear a faint groaning sound so I was sure he was trying to scare me but as I walked into our bedroom I found something entirely different. I started screaming and I dont think I would have stopped unless he spoke to me. He was hung up in the middle of the room by what looked like bear traps. They were snapped shut on his wrists and pools of blood were starting to gather on the floor beneath him. "Run Lani!" He choked out. "I can't, I can't leave you!" I walked forward and started to undo one of the traps. "I wouldn't do that!" Someone called from the bathroom. It sounded like a girl. I stopped with the trap. It was useless anyway, someone had soaked them in vervain. "Who are you?" I called towards the closed bathroom door. "An old friend Lani dear. Im sure you'd recognize me once you saw me!" I turned to Damon. "Who is it?" I asked telepathically. "Sage!" His mental voice whispered back. He sounded so weak. "Ah ah aah none of that thank you!" Sage said walking out of the bedroom, in her underwear. Why on earth was she in her underwear? "What are you doing here Sage, I haven't seen you in almost fifty years?" The last time I had seen Sage she had told us not to count on ever seeing her again. She swore she never kept friends. "Well you see I came to pay Stefan a visit but Damon was here so I decided he'd be even better!" "Better for what?" "Well if you must know, Klaus promised to free Finn if I help him get you to snap! No hard feelings Lani, but one will do anything for someone they love!" "Yeah sure Sage no hard feelings! Get a grip! Did you honestly think you'd get away with this?" "Well I was hoping we wouldn't have to resort to drastic matters because I mean I like Damon, just not enough to control myself!" She laughed as she scratched him with a pipe. "Stop it you bitch!" I squealed racing forwards to rip the pole out of her hands, but she was much older and stronger than me. "You are no match for me Lani!" She said as she threw me backwards into the wall. "Lani! Please just run!" Damon whispered. "I cant!" I replied sitting up and wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth. Damon stared at me pleading with his eyes for me to leave, but I couldn't leave him no like this. "Aaah so I see we've gotten a bit closer than last time I saw you have we? I mean I always knew something was there, it was just a matter of time before you two figured it out!" She laughed twizzling the pole in her hand. I got up shakily, damn she can throw hard. "Please Sage just let him go! We'll help you get Finn back, I swear it! You have to trust us more than Klaus!" "That hurts Lani!" Great! Why did Klaus have to turn up now? "Go ahead and let him down Sage we'll find some other way for you to get Finn back!" Sage started slowly letting him down and I raced forward to catch him. "Here!" Klaus threw me a blood bag. "Well we'll be seeing you! Lani, Damon! Sage come on we're leaving!" She gave us a pleading look. "I'm sorry" she voiced mentally. I wasn't in a very forgiving mood and plus she had just strung up the love of my love by bear traps and said that she would have no trouble killing him. But what Klaus did had surprised me. I quickly helped Damon over to the bed and ran after them. "Wait!" I yelled out and they both turned to face me. "Why did you help me? You told her to do it!" "Maybe I was feeling sentimental!" And with that they both got in the car and drove off. 


	18. Chapter 18, Best Buddies With The Hybrid

I was standing out the front of what I hoped was Klaus' house. I'd wrestled internally with myself whether I should or shouldn't confront him for days. I asked Damon several times but he just told me to leave it alone. But I couldn't, I had to know why he had let Damon go, he must have some alteria motive. He is not just that kind for the hell of it, was he? Should I leave? Oh what the hell, I'm here now might as well ask. I took a deep breath and knocked on the front door. One of his many hybrids answered. "What do you want?" He spat. "A date with you hot stuff!" I said winking, it was my best try at flirting. "Yeah right! I know who you are Lani!" "Oh we're playing the name game! Yay that's my favorite game ever!" I said jumping up and down clapping my hands. "Let me guess your name is Tyson? No Logan? Wait, I know Declan?" He laughed and shook his head. I fake pouted. "Aw really? Damn, well I have a new name for you anyway. Its dead!" And with that I shoved my hand in his chest and pulled his heart out. "Boo yeah! I win! Yoohoo Klaus are you home?" I heard someone walking down the stairs. The house was quite huge and honestly it was beautiful, not that I'd ever live there seen as Klaus had, but it was still beautiful. "Oh Lani, must you kill them?" Klaus said pushing the dead body aside with his foot. "He didn't let me win the game!" "Oh how very rude of him!" He replied with mock horror. "I know! Gentlemen these days! Would you be so kind as to invite me in?" "I dont think so Lani, I'm not that stupid!" "Very smart! Would you accompany me to The Grill at least?" "Well I am a little thirsty, and I am intrigued as to find out why you came here!" He looked down and picked up the dead hybrid throwing into the house, ordering someone to clean it up. He then closed the door and offered me his arm. "Are we walking?" I said with a groan. I had walked the whole way over here so Damon wouldn't notice I was gone. I wasn't tired, just sick of walking. "Well do you see a car Lani?" "Aargh! You'd do well to invest in one!"  
>We walked into the Grill and I mentally kicked myself when I saw him sitting at the bar. Of course this is the first place he'd go! I'm such an idiot! Klaus noticed that I'd stopped walking and followed my gaze directly to Damon. Crap! "Aah so I see Damon doesn't know about your morning stroll! Shall I enlighten him?" He grinned evilly and stalked up to the bar. I followed along quietly cautious of where he might take this. "Good morning young chap!" Klaus said cheerfully. Damon groaned. "First Lani goes AWOL, and now you. Could my day get any better?" Klaus grinned playfully at me standing behind Damon where he couldn't see me, but if he'd had less to drink he probably could have sensed me. "Well I think I can help with the first problem, turn around!" Damon slowly swivelled around and I smiled my best I'm-sorry-I-couldn't-help-myself smile. He returned the smile, though I was still anxious as it didn't reach his eyes. He took me in his arms still sitting on the barstool and hugged me tight. "What are you doing?" He whispered into my hair and I pulled back gazing into his eyes pleading him to stop it. He seemed to understand and turned me around but didn't loosen his grip around my waist. We turned back to look at Klaus. He seemed noticeably angry obviously hoping for us to get into a fight, if only he knew what I was in for when we got home. "So what I can we do for you this now fine morning?" Damon asked resting his head on my shoulder. "Well I believe Lani had some questions for me? She was the one to show up out of the blue asking me to let her in!" Damons grip tightened around me, almost to the point where its painful. I sighed, Klaus really wants to draw this out. "Don't forget the hybrid I killed!" I muttered and felt Damon, who was running his nose up and down my neck to my shoulder, smile. Good at least something good has come of this. "Fair point Lani! Now what did you want to ask?" I twiddled my thumbs for a second and then look up determined. "Why did you let Damon down? I thought you wanted me to snap? It makes no sense!" Damons grip slackened a tiny bit now that he knows why I went there. " I told you, I was feeling sentimental!" "Bullshit! Cut the crap Klaus!" And I giggled accidentally. Damon was very distracting and the further up my neck he went the more it tickled. He seemed to notice because he didn't go as far down my shoulder anymore, he stuck to my neck. Sometimes planting little kisses but mostly just running his nose back and forth. Klaus eyed him skeptically. "How can I take you seriously when he's making you laugh dear?" Damons eyes peeked up at him when he said 'dear' but he only stopped his torture for a fraction of a second. "Forget him, why'd you do it?" "Because snapping due to emotional stress is difficult and the aftermath would be horrible!" Klaus snapped at me. "Now get him to stop or I'm leaving!" "You can leave now! I don't care!" "Well played Lani, I'll be waiting next time you come calling!" Damons grip tightened and the air rushed out of me. Klaus got up and left and I strangle a goodbye out. As soon as Klaus was out of the building Damons grip slackened once again.<p>"You wouldn't of happened to be jealous this morning would you Damon?" I asked. We where lying on his bed because he claims to have slept badly last night. I think its all a ploy to get me in his bed. "Im never jealous! Especially over you!" I feigned upset and covered my face pretending to cry. It took him by surprise but after a second he pulled my hands away. My cheeks were wet from my pretend tears. I was amazed that I had kept it up for so long. I looked up into his face and saw that he was totally believing the act. "Oh Lani!" He said quietly and I'm quite impressed with my self for fooling him when abruptly he picked me up and dropped me off the bed. "I'm a much better actor than you sweet Lani!" He said with a laugh. I stood up and pouted. Now I really was hurt. He sighed and patted the bed next to him, signalling for me to hop back in but I just crossed my arms. I grabbed my book off the bedside table and sat in one of the chairs in the corner of his room. I started to read and heard rather than saw him come closer. He looked at the cover obviously amused. "You bought Fifty Shades Of Grey?" He sounded incredulous. "Yes as a matter of fact I did! I wanted to see what all the fuss is about, and oh my god the stuff they do in here puts you to shame!" I said with a laugh. He grabbed the book quickly and just my luck I'm on a page with a sex scene. "What the hell is wrong with these people?" He said after quickly turning 12 pages. "It was based on the Twilight characters you know! Christian is Edward, Ana is Bella, Kate is Rosalie that sort of thing!" I shrugged waiting patiently for him to return my book. "Aaah yuck! And you see it played out in your head as Edward? Yuck! It would be much sexier if it was me!" "Ha ha! Very funny!" I said with a roll of my eyes. "I thought so! Wanna try this?" Damon said winking. Eew no way. "Not in a million years!" I said snatching the book back. I settled back into the chair crossing my legs. "Oh come on Lani!" "What?" I said innocently. "I'm sorry I was mean to you! Buut.. " he said drawing out the word. "It was pretty funny!" I snorted. "Some apology!" he smiled fondly. "Its the best you'll get!" leaning down, he kissed me quickly making me feel just how much he loves me. I sighed. "I know! But I still wanna read!" he laughed and stood up. "Ok! Im going to get a drink from downstairs, call me when you're finished!" I smiled like maniac at his back and then returned to my book, there is no way you'd catch me doing this shit. I laughed quietly at myself and settled in for a long time reading.<p>

"Lani? Lani?" I wake with a start. I must have fallen asleep in the chair in Damons room. "Lani? Are you awake?" "I am now!" I grumbled standing up and picking my book up off the floor. Damon burst through the door, a slightly frantic look on his face. "Whats the matter?" I asked rushing towarded him. He started crying and I put my hands on either side of his face, making him look at me. "What is it?" "Its Stefan!" He said. Oh no whats happened? "He ate my ice cream!" He started laughing, amused that he had tricked me once again. "Aargh you are such an ass Damon Salvatore!" I pushed him away from me fuming. "How dare you?" He continued to laugh at me. "You should of seen your face!" "Oh yes you're hilarious!" I stalked out of the room. He tried to grab me on my way past but I pushed his arms away. "Oh come on Lani! It was funny!" I walked into the kitchen and Stefan was sitting there trying not to laugh. "So help you Stefan, I will give Damon something to cry about!" That shut him up, but only for a second, before he was openly laughing his head of at me. "I can just imagine what you looked like!" I contemplated locking him up again, but decided on something less drastic that will still make both of them mad. Damon sauntered into the kitchen just as I grabbed my jacket and keys. "Where are you going?" "Out!" I muttered. "In your pyjamas?" "Yuup! Have a nice night you two!" I slammed the door shut behind me for emphasis but it just made them laugh harder. Not even two minutes later I was back out the front of Klaus' house, smiling madly to myself. I decided to spend the night here, if he'll let me, and get him to drop me off home tomorrow just so they know. I knocked on the door timidly and Klaus opened it. "Lani, what a surprise! And in your pyjamas too, how lovely!" "Can I stay the night?" I asked, not bothering to say hello. "Hhmm..." he said, as if he is contemplating his death. "I suppose! But only cause it will upset the Salvatores!" I gave a little shrug. "Why do you think im here?" He smiled fondly at me and invited me in.

About an hour later I was happy to say I'd had my fair share of Klaus' delicious alcohol. I started dancing to some random music when I realized it was my phone ringing. I checked the caller id and just as I suspected it was Damon. "Hello, Kelly's Wood Yard, Kelly speaking!" "Where are you?" "Well sir we have only one location. And that is 26 Whocares road in the town of I don't give a shit!" "Cut the crap Lani, where are you?" "Im with a mutual friend!" I said with a smile. "Who?" He asked, exasperated. "Never you mind! I'll be back in the morning! It was really nice chatting with you though. Toodles!" I hung up and started laughing. Klaus, who was sitting quietly during the phone call, joined in. "So are we friends now? I don't ever remember that conversation!" he asked and I laughed again. "It just sounded good!" I replied with a shrug. "You should probably take me home though, or I'm going to be in a lot if trouble!" "Isn't that why you came? And you can drive yourself!" "I suppose that is why I came, but still. And I'm drunk, you don't want to be the cause of my death do you?" I said with mock horror. "You wouldn't die Lani, but I'll drive you anyway. Just cause I'm a nice person!" I laughed all the way home. "How are you gonna get home?" I asked once we were both out the car. "I'll walk!" I reached up to hug him, god knows why, and noticed Damon in the window. Klaus returned the hug briefly and I whispered. "I'm in trouble!" I smirked at him and turned to walk towards the front door but tripped over my own feet and started falling to the floor. Luckily Klaus caught me. He picked me up bridal style and carried me towards the house. The last thing I heard before I pass out was Damon telling Klaus to give me to him and then piss off.

I woke up in Damons bed, my arms searching for him. I found him sitting up against the head board, a glass of bourbon in his hand. I looked up at him to try and assess how much trouble I was in but he was not looking at me, which meanst I was in alot of trouble. I sat up and tried to cuddle into him but he gave me the cold shoulder. Oh ooh! I sat there for a minute feeling the sting of rejection before he sighed and pulled me close, putting his bourbon down on the bedside table. "What were you thinking?" He asked, his voice muffled by my hair because he had his head pressed into it. "I just wanted you to be mad, but then I didn't and it was too late cause I was already there so I made him drive me home!" The words tumbled out my mouth that quickly that I wasn't not sure he had heard it all. He squeezed me tight and I closed my eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry!" I murmured. "I know!" He said equally quiet. We sat there together for a little while before he took me by surprise. All of a sudden I was lying on my back with him on top of me. His lips found mine and he was kissing me urgently. The surprise quickly changed to hunger when I remembered something. "Wait!" He looked down at me with surprise and a little anger. "What?" "Go and kick Stefan out!" I said squirming under him. "Just forget about him!" He said and reclaimed my mouth with his. "Stop! Im not doing anymore unless Stefan is not here!" He groaned and rolled over. "You're lucky your worth it!" He grumbled all the way down the stairs and then I heard him yell at Stefan "Lani says you need to leave before she'll have sex with me!" I could hear Stefan laughing. "Did she now? And if I say no?" "Don't push me brother!" I heard something break and Stefan laughed again. "Ok, ok im going!" the front door slammed and Damon was straight back in the room. "Better?" He asked, clearly annoyed. "Come here..." He smirked and was on top of me in a second. "Well hello there!" He smiled and kissed me softly. "I love you my sweet, sweet Lani!" And that was the last thing he said before his lips reclaimed mine. 


	19. Chapter 19, Friederick

Even though Stefan had left he still teased me relentlessly about it. Every five minutes, or after I kissed Damon, there he was asking me if I wanted him to leave. Usually I would just laugh and blow it off, but after a while it got really annoying. So here I was sitting at the bar of the Grill contemplating whether or not to kill him after having a few too many bourbons. "Cheer up love! Anyone would think someone had died!" I groaned loudly and let my head slump onto the bar. "What do you want Klaus?" I mumbled into the polished wood. "Hey now! I thought we were friends? I mean you did try and stay at my house last week!" Has it really been a week? Shit, I've got to start keeping track of the days. "We are! I guess. But still what do you want?" "Just some friendly company!" He replied sitting down next to me. "Well I'm not exactly the friendliest person at the moment!" I took another swig of bourbon. "Aren't you a little young?" "Sshh! I had to compell him. Dont tell no one!" "Aah Lani, what are we going to do with you?" "Love me, feed me!" I shrugged. "That's my job!" Another voice interrupted. "Come to join the party dear?" I asked, giving them my best english accent. I even bounced up and down like the real pompous idiots do. "How many have you had Lani?" "I don't know I lost count after six, I never was very smart!" I giggled at myself. "Lani!" He groaned. "Damon!" I mimiced in my best male voice. I lost the seriousness after I giggled again though. "Come on! Time to go home!" I sighed and try to stand up. It probably was best to go now, before I made a fool of myself. But I fell over before I was even standing. "Jesus Lani!" Damon scolded hoisting me up into his arms. "Well hey there handsome!" I giggled again before going green. "I'm gonna be sick!" I turned away from Damon not wanting to be sick on him and instead threw up all over Klaus. Once I was finished I couldn't help but giggle a little. He gave me the biggest death stare so I forced myself to stop. "Time to leave Lani!" and Damon whisked me off to his car. I could see the hint of a smile on his lips as he drove the car. "Its not funny Damon!" I can't believe I just spewed all over Klaus, of all people. "It was a little funny Lani!" but he was still trying to hide his smile. I put my head in my hands. "Woah! You're not gonna be sick in the car are you?" I couldn't help but laugh a little. A small tiny whimper of a laugh. "No, I'm totally humiliated!" I groaned. He laughed at me and gave me a look of compassion. "I'm sure no one else saw!" he's trying to comfort me but I know everyone in the Grill just saw me spew all over Klaus. "Come on lets have a bath!" he said, lifting me gingerly from the car and carrying me to the bathroom. Stefan eyed me curiously but was wise enough not to say anything. I still haven't ruled out killing him, even if it is only temporary.

I woke with a start and search for Damon to cling to as I usually do after a bad dream but he is not there. I sat up with a groan and check my phone. Aargh its not even six yet. Theres no point in trying to go back to sleep especially without Damon. Nightmares have been a prominent part of my life but I'd learnt to deal with them. That was before Klaus came and ruined everything with his 'snapping' theory. Now every night I wake up from a new nightmare where I've snapped and done something cold and unforgivable. And then there's Damon, he's always there to comfort me, make sure I dont believe I've really snapped. He never lets me sleep alone. Where is he? Fear grips me when I realise I'm not in my bed or Damons, I'm not even in my house. "Damon?" I call out cautiously. No reply. I've just decided to search for him when the door opens. "Morning Lani!" I sigh. "Good morning Friedrick." Friedrick is an old acquaintance from nearly 75 years ago. I doubt he would be too happy with me, seen as I played him and then left him burning in his own house.

**FLASHBACK** "Lani? Lani where are you?" Aargh Friedrick is back from town already. I stand up out the bath and dry myself off. When I get into the bedroom he's sitting own the bed. Great! I can tell by the look he's angry. "What? Cant I have a bath and get dressed in peace?" "Of course dear, we'll talk after you're dressed!" He says, walking over to kiss me. I offer up my cheek and he gives it a quick peck. Friedrick is the controlling type of vampire. I don't like to let on that im like a hundred years older than him, it doesn't help with his trust issues. No doubt when I go down there he'll have some new random person that is supposedly my lover. I don't love Friedrick, I'm only living with him for just as long as it takes for Damon and Stefan to come get me. How I wish my older brothers were here now.

I walk into the kitchen and there sitting with Friedrick is Damon. I squeal and run into his open arms. "Oh my dear Lani, I have missed you!" His accent is gone! "Damon! Where is your accent?" "I dropped it for ease my dear! Nobody questions me about it!" "I am so glad you're here! Can we leave straight away? I hate it here, its so boring! And the sex is crap!" I quickly put my hands over my mouth while Damon laughs. Friedrick has his angry look on which shuts Damon up. Friedrick walks up and claims my wrist with his hand and pulls me toward him. "And if I won't let her leave?" Damon looks appalled. "Is he always like this?" "Trust issues!" I reply which lands me a slap to the face. It doesn't hurt, I mean I'm a vampire, its just demoralizing. I hear a snarl from Damon and the next thing Friedrick is dangling off the floor against the wall, Damons hand on his throat. "You okay Lan?" "Yeah fine, happens all the time!" Shit! "What?" He shouts and turns back towards a struggling Friedrick. "You think its fine to hurt my little sister? Or any woman at all? Your unbelievable!" He shakes Friedrick against the wall. I can't say I've never thought about doing it but I hate when Damon is like this. "Come on Damon lets leave?" "What?" He turns back to face me, hurt. "Leave him alive?" I sigh, I don't want to leave him alive but I can't watch Damon kill someone. "Tie him down, we'll burn the place. Then theres no evidence that vampires were here!" It seems to satisfy him enough, although I'm sure he would have loved to have ripped his heart out. Once everything is in place Damon lets me light the match. "Just one thing Lani, why didn't you stop him? I mean you're way older than him!" "I needed somewhere to wait for you and Stefan!" I say with a shrug and he sighs. I can tell he now thinks it's his fault. I throw the match at Friedrick and walk out the front door with Damon. I'm so glad I have my big brother back.

**FLASHBACK**

I shake my head trying to dislodge the memories seeping to the surface. "What do you want Friedrick?" He smiles. "What I've always wanted my Lani, you!" I laugh dryly. "And if you cant have me?" "Then no one can!" He shrugs, looking at me as if its the simplest thing in the world. "I hate to break it to you but I'm like way, way, waay older than you!" I replied, emphasizing the 'ways'. "Oh I know! I figured it out soon after you left me burning in our house!" "Two things, one it was your house never ours and two im really sorry about that but well you were, are, really annoying and controlling and abusive and plain mean!" He looked wounded. I plopped back down on the bed. "So whats the plan Friedrick? Starve me until I cave? Use my loved ones? What is the master plan that makes you so sure you can out play me?" "That's for me to know and you to not!" He smirked and it irritated me. "How did we get here? At least answer me that!" "If you must know, I had a witch knock you and your brother out and I carried you here!" "My brother? Oh you mean Damon! About that... hes not really my brother. We're kinda together." I shrugged trying to sound nonchalant. "So if you thought he was mad when we were just siblings, imagine what he'll be like now!" I raised my eyebrow at him. He looked surprised. "Geez for someone supposedly in love with me you didn't do much research!" I feigned hurt and he laughed. "I researched enough!" I looked around the room. I knew where we were. Mystic Falls Motel. How original. "Wow! Couldn't you pick somewhere I didn't know? It makes it so much more interesting trying to guess where I am!" My voice sounded bored, which I was, and hungry. Hmm I wonder if he bought a snack? "I'm not doing this to amuse you sweet Lani!" He walked closer, until he stood at the foot of the bed near my dangling feet. He was smirking wildly and it caused a nasty, uneasy feeling in my stomach. "Touch me and your dead!" I whispered menacingly. "Now, now that wasn't very nice! Have you lost your manners Lani? I will have to re-teach them!" I know what that meant. It meant pain and I wasn't about to sit through it a second time. "Go to hell!" I murmured before grabbing my phone of the side table and walking towards the door. "And where do you think you're going?" "Ah home duh!" "But its light out?" "Its called a daylight ring! Like I said, no research!" I wiggled my finger at him before opening the door and stepping out. It really was quite beautiful today. I turned around just outside the hotel door. "You have until sundown to be gone okay? That's the longest I will be able to hold Damon off. If you are still here at sundown I will personally rip your heart out got it?" He nodded silently. "Good! Now im leaving, have a nice life Friedrick!" I walked away scrolling through my contacts on my phone looking for Damons number. Got it! I dialled quickly. "Lani? Where are you? Are you okay? Whats going on?" "Woah calm down! I'll explain later. Can you pick me up from the Mystic Falls Motel?" "Yeah sure! I'll be there in five! You sure you're okay?" "I'm fine Damon just hurry!" I hung up and sat on the curb picking up a handful of rocks as I did. I began to throw the rocks seeing if I could get them into the tiny window in the top part of what I assumed was the office. I got it on my second throw. It was too early for anyone to be in there yet I still waited to make sure no one came storming out yelling obscene things before I tried again. I had been throwing the rocks for about ten minutes and I had just decided to start walking home when Damon pulled up. I put on my best angry face and stalked over to the car. "What took so long?" I growled, slamming the door shut for emphasis. "Hey sorry! I had some business to attend to, but it's all taken care of now!" He held his hands up in a sorry gesture. "Can we leave now? And what business?" Staying angry at him would hopefully prolong the questions about why I was here and why I had left him last night. "Woah Lani, whats wrong?" Come on, don't be all sensitive now Damon just drive, I was screaming in my mind. But I answered quickly. "I'm fine Damon! Can we please go I'm tired and hungry and I wanna go back to bed!" I used a softer tone this time and pleaded silently with my eyes. At least what I said was partially true and I wasn't flat out lying to him. "Okay Lan, but I can't stay with you!" He murmured quietly, pulling out of the motel. "What? No!" I was yelling without meaning too. "I can't sleep unless you're there!" I mumbled at the end hoping he wouldn't hear. "I know Lani, but I really can't stay!" "Why?" "You'll get mad if I tell you!" "No I won't, just tell me!" He cast his eyes down. I know he was battling with himself about telling me. "You remember that Friedrick guy? The one that used to hit you all the time? Well he rang this morning just after you did. That's why I was late, cause I was talking to him. Anyway he told me that he was going to track you down and kill you if I didn't meet with him!" He looked away. We both knew that only one person would come out of that meeting. It was more likely to be Damon, but you never could tell with Friedrick. I didn't know how to respond, I mean I've just spent the morning with him and he never mentioned this. To my surprise and Damons I laughed. Just a quick giggle that soon escalated into a full blown laughing fit. Damon eyed me curiously. "And tell me sweet Lani, what about this amuses you?" I stopped laughing. Well I might as well tell him about Friedrick, I mean he was totally honest with me. "I've just spent the morning with him, Friedrick I mean, I woke up from one of my nightmares and you weren't there. So I got up to look for you and there he was. He had us both knocked out by a witch and then carried me there. So I guess you could say he kidnapped me!" Damon slammed on the brakes and did a huge u-turn. Oh no! "Damon don't its not worth it!" I put my hand on his arm and he sighed before shaking it off. "Lani I am not going to just drive away from this! That bastard is going to pay!" I sighed. There was obviously no point arguing with him, it would do no good. It would only make him angrier at me. The tires screeched as the car flew around the corner into the motel carpark. This was not going to end well. 


End file.
